Life After Death
by tellittothefrogs
Summary: Piper Bell's leaned on one companion since the outbreak, a horse named Leroy. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive and find life after death. Rated for language & future scenes.
1. The Best Night Ever

Alrighty, a couple of the obvious author's notes before I begin this story...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note:** I had originally planned on writing this entire story before I put it up anywhere (to relieve the pressure of getting out a new chapter) However, I took a break from writing this story (in order to work on another project), and didn't realize how much I missed this story until I read another _The Walking Dead _fic - and I really did enjoy writing the bits and pieces that a wrote. So, I'm continuing on because I've written bits and pieces of this story and just want to see where this goes. Reviews are dandy. Let me know what ya' think! *Rating is subject to change.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

_**The Best Night Ever**_

"So are you excited for prom?" the squealy voice came off to Piper's right, her cousin and friend Jennifer was nearly bouncing off the walls about the event._ Every girl's dream. The best night of the year. The night that makes or breaks your high school career._

Ever since they were kids Jennifer and Piper had had their thoughts and ideas about the "perfect prom". Whenever they went shopping, as young girls and then as junior high schoolers, Jennifer would stop in front of a dress and say, "This is it, Piper! My prom dress!" Piper would pretend to keep her eyes open for dresses, but she wasn't too interested in the glam part of it all. If anything, she would attend the event to have fun, and maybe, possibly, with someone special. Of course she was completely wrong - according to the status quo.

"It's a proven fact that virgins lose their virginity on prom night!" Jen would muse Piper's hair.

"The Prom King and Queen are always the best dressed!" Jennifer would gush.

"It's all about the dress!" she would hear while groups of girls flipped through fashion magazines.

Yeah-huh.

Piper's very excited cousin was being escorted by her longtime boyfriend Michael. According to random polls taken by Jennifer herself, she was to win Prom Queen, and Michael, Prom King. After all, they were more than typical high school couple - they were the power couple, exceeding all of the usual requirements; Jennifer was beautiful, no doubt about that. Her face was heart shaped and was surrounded by her soft blonde locks. Her crystal like blue eyes were round and one of her best features. She was a thin girl, much more thin than Piper ever hoped to be. Her tiny stature dubbed her "top of the pyramid girl". Her boyfriend, Michael Brown was equally as attractive; he had to whole John Stamos look going on. He was an exceptional athlete - naturally - and some guy every girl wanted to be with. Lucky Jen.

Piper's prom situation was a bit different. Her "someone special" was supposed to be her long time crush, Eric Summers. He had always been nice to her, but was out of her league and more in Jen's. However, the blonde assured her that he would be asking her to the event in no time. He didn't ask her, in fact, she was sure he had forgotten her existence.

"He'll ask you!" Jennifer kept saying. Michael was buddies with Eric, but Eric had eyes for Rachel Wilson, who was as pretty as Jennifer. Piper just didn't match up to that "crowd".

And so, Shane saved the day, again.

_"Look, how about you and me go," he suggested one day after school. He was a big college guy with Rick, and, eventually, they had set a goal to become police officers - two partners in crime, or, well, against it. However, this particular day, Shane took time out to spend the afternoon with Piper and the life long best friends were at the park swaying back and forth on the rusty swings like a couple of kids._

_"You sure about that. Don't you have to be a big college boy or whatever?" she looked at her friend and dug her heels into the dirt._

_"Positive. Come on, it'll be fun. I'll be your date and we'll show ol' Eric what it's like to hava' good time," he smiled a genuine smile and rubbed Piper's shoulder._

_She thought about the idea for a minute. What was so bad about going to prom with your best friend? Not a single con could be found. Shane was quite the partier and entertainer. It would surely be a fun night._

_She smiled wide at Shane, "Alright, alright. I'll go with you. Just don't forget the corsage," she wiggled her finger at him._

So Shane Walsh was her prom date.

"Yeah," Piper replied to her cousin, throwing a smile at her, "Super excited!"

The smile was half fake, half real. Part of her was excited because Shane had promised her a good time, but part of her was still bummed - she was, after all, crushed about the whole Eric thing.

"So are you and Shane...more than friends?" Jennifer asked - nosy as ever.

Piper rolled her eyes. She'd known Shane for eighteen years. She'd grown up with the kid. Like his other best friend and her friend, Rick Grimes, she'd seen his ups and downs. But the male/female relationship was different. There was always that sexual tension, that attraction. When she was younger, her and Shane's mother used to refer to Piper as Shane's "little girlfriend" - according to them, she followed that kid around like there was no tomorrow. As they got older, and started to go through puberty and all that stuff, things got dicey, for Piper, at least. The waters got choppy and she asked herself a lot of the time; _Will Shane and I end up together? _She had never really thought of Shane Walsh as a brother. He was more of a protector, he was a rock when others couldn't be. He was there for her. And maybe she had feelings for him, but she couldn't let that ruin their perfect friendship. Piper knew what feelings did; they screwed everything up. She wasn't sure if Shane felt the same way, if there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, if there was, he never acted on it. So they remained friends. Best friends. Each other's other half.

Piper shook her head, "Jen, come on. We're not together. We're just friends."

Jen snorted, she didn't believe a word of the bullshit that just came out of her cousin's mouth, "Piper. Do you really expect me to believe a hunk like Shane Walsh ditched all of the older chicks he's probably been going around with, with, what's his name..."

"Rick," Piper cut in.

"Rick, to go to prom with a _friend_?"

"First of all," Piper a newly manicured finger that Jennifer simply insisted on, "Rick's got a girlfriend, Lori. Remember her?" she raised both eyebrows, "Second of all," her middle finger went up, "isn't that what friends do? Help each other out? Support each other? I don't understand the big deal."

Jennifer reached over and slapped Piper's forehead. The brunette frowned a bit and furrowed her brow, "You, my friend, are so naive. The _big deal _is that, knowing Shane Walsh, you will not make it out of tonight a virgin."

Piper rolled her eyes. Everything with her cousin was sex. Sex and boys and partying - not the brunette's style. She shook her head, "Jennifer. I love you, but," she sighed, "But maybe you should focus on your own love life instead of mine. Which, in case you haven't noticed, is non-existent."

Jen had given up on trying to convince Piper that Shane and her were one soul intertwined within two bodies. That's what she said, right? Piper wasn't even paying attention. Instead, she was trying not to pick off the red nail polish on her fingers. Four hours in counting. The best night ever.

* * *

"PIIIIII-PEERRR!" her mother's yell came in a sing-song voice from the bottom of the stairs, "Shane called - he'll be here in ten minutes!"

Piper gulped and stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. The mirror extended her body's length and she inspected every part of herself. Her usually thick, wavy medium length brown hair had been straightened and was in a french-braid bun. No fly-aways could be seen, but Piper was sure that, by the end of the night, her hair would be down and frizzy as ever. Her blue almond shaped eyes were accentuated by a soft gray smokey eye. Her cheeks were dusted with rosy blush and her lips had been traced with a soft pink and filled with the same color.

She had saved up her money and splurged on a dress she had spent days searching for. She wasn't a pink girl, but Jennifer had insisted that she looked stunning in it. It was a one shoulder piece that accented her curves and made her feel prettier than she ever had before. Thank God for working at the local pizza parlor. Piper took another minute to "inspect" herself before taking a deep breath.

Prom night came with a lot of anxiety, but, with Shane by her side, it was sure to be a good night. She just had to relax, stay calm, enjoy the music, the food, the friends. And that's exactly what she did.

And that night was in fact, the best night ever.


	2. Something

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews thus far! Just letting you guys know, we've now fast forwarded to the apocalypse. Alrighty, enjoy. And Review. Maybe, if you want.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

_**Something**  
_

If she had to pick anyone to survive whatever was going on in the hell she once knew as home, anyone to help her get through the post-apocalyptic nightmare, anyone to trust with her life, thirty-three year old Piper Bell would go with a boy named Leroy. He was much younger than she, only sixteen years old, but he was as trustworthy as any being could possibly come. His physical characteristics made him the perfect partner; fast, agile, he really had great endurance. He was also patient, calm, and whenever Piper needed a shoulder or an ear, Leroy was there. In all of the sixteen years of his life, Piper had been the owner and caretaker of the chestnut Quarter Horse, and the duo had bonded immensely. Quite simply put, before the world had gone to shit, not a single person could come in between that girl and her horse. And now, Piper wasn't going to let a bunch of rotting corpses come in between her and her horse. Piper was Leroy's protector, and in return, Leroy was Piper's protector.

The journey from New York down to Georgia wasn't an easy one, however. That's where the brunette was born and raised. Only four years ago had she moved to the city. She wasn't really going anywhere with her life in the small town she lived in. There weren't many options and she wasn't twenty-two anymore. Of course all of her friends and family were back down south, but she figured New York would offer some great opportunities. So she packed up her belongings, hitched up a trailer, and drove up north. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, however. She'd chosen a town an hour outside of the city and started to intern at some snooty fashion magazine. She'd rather stick a fork in her eye or shoot herself in the foot. _Piper, would you get some coffee. Yeah, that's one black, one frapasomething with way too much whipped cream on it, some fancy shmancy drink that's impossible to remember, and a dozen other drinks. _Most of the big shots that she worked for coffees would return cold. And maybe, just to do it on purpose, she'd sit in her truck with them for a good while. After half a year of being sized up by well-dressed employees, Piper left the magazine and, inspired by certain events in her life, as well as her best friend, Shane Walsh, Piper followed the "signs" and took to her calling; she became a member of the NYPD - Special Victims Unit specifically. She was focused, motivated, and loved when the victims had their justice, The job fit Piper and Piper fit the job.

Of course the world had gone to shit soon after she'd helped countless amounts of victims. A couple of weird stories, panic. Her first thought was to leave New York. Who needed a SVU detective? She had the training to shoot a weapon, but there was talk of acquiring military help for whatever was going on. And so, Piper made a decision. She had to get back home. She had to see her mother and father, Shane, her childhood friends. She had kept in touch with everyone she was close with and as she started up her truck, she hoped they were alright.

Thankfully, being law enforcement, she was one step ahead of civilians. Traffic was bad, but it wasn't a nightmare. Not until she made it to the Peach State. She'd made it down to Georgia with little trouble, but she soon realized that the whole truck and trailer thing wasn't going to cut it. By this time the carnage began to rear its ugly head. So, she downsized; taking her necessities filled in a backpack and dufflebag and suited Leroy up in the endurance saddle the pair used when competing in endurance trials.

Unfortunately, when she reached her home in Georgia, she found her parents quickly. They were lumbering around on her street looking right at her. A shot to the head for each of them with her Beretta - that seemed to do the trick. Shane was gone too, where she didn't know. And although she'd moved away, they were still close, calling and e-mailing each other weekly, and if she couldn't be with her parents, Piper wanted so badly to be with her best friend. When nobody seemed to be around the small town, Piper moved on. She didn't have a destination, just a plan; stay alive.

* * *

They'd done well together, so far, that is. It was their ability to get out of sticky situations and, for the most part, stay out of sticky situations that kept them alive. It was frequent visits to small towns and farms for horse supplies that kept Leroy up and going. Grabbing a whole mess of grooming supplies from the trailer she'd abandoned would have weighed the duo down, not to mention that it was impractical to carry around about fifty different brushes. So, she grabbed two necessities; a hoof pick and a hard brush. Leroy, after all, was the only thing Piper had left, and she made sure of it that he was alright. Piper would spend cautious and precious time searching for the proper things to keep her horse healthy.

It was difficult when dewormers and medication were not an option. It was difficult when Leroy's mane couldn't be pulled or his coat got a little bit too fuzzy. His diet became that of a wild horse's . Hoof problems always concerned the woman as her horse's farrier would most likely try and eat them. Whenever she came across the proper tools, she'd sigh, giving Leroy a sympathetic look, but would remind herself that wild horses do not visit the farrier. She kept her chestnut from eating too much to avoid foundering and tried her best to keep him in tip-top condition. For the most part she succeeded, and, truth was, despite reverting back to this simple and somewhat wild state, Leroy didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed his friend's company.

And, as Leroy's hooves crunched against the forest floor in the woods of Georgia, Piper paid close attention to her surroundings. She listened for anything that sounded out of the ordinary; a faint moan, footsteps, anything that pointed to a walker being present. Everything seemed in order, although Piper's line of visions was obstructed by the green leaves of the trees above. Anything could be lying in wait, too lazy to seek out prey, waiting for it to come on its own. Suddenly, the horse stopped and snorted. He had never been a nervous horse, but it seemed as though, with the change in the world, he had become more careful and cautious of dangers. And dangers these days were people.

"What is it, bud?" she whispered to her chestnut.

He stood completely still, and finally the problem came into Piper's line of vision. She counted them; three at first, then five, then eight, then ten, then twenty. At least twenty walkers were trapsing through the woods. Some were missing body parts; arms, mostly, others had no lips, maybe half a face. The stench wasn't a pleasant one either, but that wasn't Piper's main concern. Her main concern was keeping as still as possible. She didn't know much about them, but she knew, if the wind was on her side, they wouldn't be able to smell her out. They seemed to be more drawn by sound then anything, so Piper focused on keeping quiet. She watched as they walked methodically, too focused on their route to notice her. The trees might have helped with that as well. Piper held her breath as they slowly walked by, not any more than a couple of hundred feet in front of her. It seemed like she was sitting, waiting, for hours. Finally the creatures had moved on and Piper took her backpack off her shoulders and reached around until she found her binoculars.

"Alright," she breathed a sigh of relief and clucked to her horse, "Crisis averted. Time to get a move on."

* * *

"Looks like we've ended up in Farmstown Farmsy, Georgia," Piper chuckled to herself, "What? Not even a snort, Lee? Come on, it was funny."

It wasn't that funny, but the observation was astute. The two had gotten out of the woods and arrived in a town. About five or six miles away was all farmland. It was perfect for looking for equine supplies, but the duo had to be on their toes. They'd passed by several farms, most of them had been burned to the ground. Each was a disappointment. The barns had huge potential as a resting area and Piper was sure they had once housed horses, cows at least. The proper feed was burned along with the hosts of rotting flesh that had invaded the properties.

They'd been walking through a small deserted town where Piper saw a welcome sight. Another horse. The bay was tethered up to a stand outside what looked like a pharmacy. Although, it was unclear, the place had been ransacked. Leroy whinnied at the horse as they drew closer. The other animal turned toward Leroy and whinnied back. Piper smiled at the interaction; it was so simple. So pure.

She pulled her horse to a halt, took her backpack off of her back and threw it on the ground. Then, she hopped off, throwing the reins over his head.

"Stay there, buddy. I'm gonna check this place out," she told her companion, patting his neck affectionately.

Piper pulled her gun out of its holster and turned the safety off - just to be cautious. She approached the front door of the pharmacy and looked inside the window. She saw a figure inside, but it didn't quite have a mannerisms of a walker. For one, it was taking things off a shelf and placing them in a basket.

She opened the front door and a small bell rang alerting the person inside, the woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, jumped and dropped her basket a look of fear in her eyes. Piper didn't know why until she realized her gun was pointed at the stranger.

"Woah, woah - I'm just here to get some supplies," the woman said holding her hands up.

_Yeah, I don't think she's gonna kill me._

Piper placed her Beretta back in its holster and held her hands up as well, "Sorry - can't be too careful, you know?"

The other woman nodded her head and bent down to pick up her basket. Its contents were lying all on the floor and Piper rushed over to help. After all, it was her fault.

"Again, sorry about that…." she trailed off - there wasn't really a way to do official introductions in the world they lived in. They were awkward, as usually, they started off with weapons drawn.

The girl turned and looked at Piper, "Maggie," was all she said as she continued placing her items in the blue basket.

"Maggie," Piper nodded her head slowly still unsure of the stranger, "Uhm. Are you from around here, Maggie?"

"Yeah," she replied, without looking up. She seemed to be busy scanning the almost completely bare shelves.

"Know any good tractor supply stores or feed stores? Or any place, really?" Piper questioned hoping for a "yes".

"Know some, yes," Maggie tossed a couple of things in her basket and turned to Piper, "But I'm not to sure what's left in 'em. Why? Got something you need to get?" she seemed interested.

Piper jerked her thumb toward Leroy who was standing idly outside the store, "His name's Leroy, and, well, you have a horse, they're not the easiest of animals to take care of," Piper let out a deep sigh, "Especially nowadays."

Maggie looked out at the chestnut, admiring him, "He a Quarter Horse? Looks just like one my dad has back at our farm," she smiled to herself.

"He is indeed a Quarter Horse. He's quite the handsome boy, isn't he?" she beamed.

Maggie nodded and sighed a bit, "I really don't know how my dad would feel about this, but maybe we could spare something at our farm. He's a vet, so maybe he could take a look at your guy - just to make sure he's alright for your travels," the woman half smiled, "I'll finish up here and then I'll take ya' to our farm."

Piper's eyes lit up.

_Something._ Maggie had offered her something. She didn't necessarily care what it was the farm had to offer, as long it offered something. Because, in the world they lived in, something was always better than nothing.


	3. A Twisted Sense of Humor

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note:** She had a conversation with a horse. But I kinda love it. And, also, not to be mistaken for telepathy (because I feel like it might be) is the language of the eyes! You'll see. Thanks for the reviews x

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

_**A Twisted Sense of Humor**  
_

"How long has he had these shoes on for?" Maggie's father, Hershel, a man in his sixties asked sizing up Leroy. The Quarter Horse was hooked up to the cross ties in the horse barn taking in the smell of the other horses and clearly enjoying his surroundings.

"Oh Jeez," Piper squinted her eyes trying to remember, "More than six weeks, that's for sure. You're not a farrier too, are you?" Piper joked, although she desperately wanted it to be true.

Hershel took his attention away from Leroy and looked at Piper, "No ma'am, I'm sorry I'm not. But I'll give him the once over, and standard check up."

Piper nodded her head slowly and leaned up against one of the stalls doors watching Hershel get to work. He didn't get his hand halfway down Leroy's back right leg until he stopped and gestured for Piper to join him. The woman left her spot and squatted down next to Hershel by Leroy's backside.

"He's got swelling in his back leg," Hershel ran his hand over what Piper knew as the cannon bone, "Right here it's warm."

Piper extended her arm and felt Leroy's leg - it was definitely warm, definitely swollen.

"Do you have any idea what may have caused this?" Hershel questioned.

Piper frowned a bit and wracked her brain, "No, I don't. I've been as careful as I possibly can," Piper looked at the ground mentally kicking herself for her negligence.

Hershel nodded slowly, "Well, I'm going to have to take an ex-ray, see if there's a problem," he stood up wiping off his pants, Piper followed, "He's going to have to stay here - at least until his leg is healed. And you're going to have to soak it, at least three times a day."

"Do you have any wraps?" Piper asked - she wasn't completely stupid about proper horse care, after all.

Hershel disappeared into a small tack room and came out with a wrap. He handed it to Piper and just as she turned to get to work, she stopped, "Thank you," she gave the older man a smile.

She meant it.

* * *

Piper liked the Greene farm. Hershel had been kind enough to look at Leroy, as well as treat him, she'd become quite fond of Maggie, as well as her younger sister, Beth, the couple that lived with the Greene's, Otis and Patricia were genuine people, as well as Jimmy, who, to Piper's shock, was Beth's husband. Piper had settled in quite nicely - although, she was unsure if the arrangement was permanent or not. Maggie had offered her the extra bed in her room - of course, it was either that or the horse barn. Maggie, despite having a gun pointed to her head at their first meeting, seemed to be all for the new guests staying. Piper agreed wholeheartedly - after all, the extra bed and stall seemed to have had Piper and Leroy's names on them.

And so it was settled, although, Piper thought it was more of Hershel thinking she couldn't take care of her horse rather than her persuasion that prompted him to let them stay. If it wasn't for the fact that she was so thankful, she would have been insulted.

"Patricia, seriously, I'm no good at this stuff!" Piper held up her hands.

"You can't make stew?" Beth snorted from her spot at the sink.

Piper rolled her eyes, so she wasn't Martha Stewart, "How'sa bout less talking and more washing?"

Beth shook her head, but turned her focus back on the dirty dishes.

"DAD!" the women looked up. Suddenly, Maggie came running into the house, "Dad! There's someone here, someone runnin' towards the house. Come out!"

The three woman looked at each other and before Piper could react, Beth and Patricia hurried out of the kitchen. Piper, unsure of what was going on, followed seconds later.

"Was he bit?" Piper heard Hershel's voice coming from outside. She exited out of the open screen door, joining everyone else on the porch.

"Shot!" a man's voice sounded desperate, "By your man."

Piper's eyes widened, she knew that voice.

"Otis?" Patricia questioned, surprised.

Hershel made his way down the steps and everyone but Piper followed.

"He said to find Hershel, that you?" the man asked.

Piper stood frozen on the porch. Was this real? Was that him? As the man pleaded for Hershel's help, Piper looked up. There, in his Sheriffs uniform, with a look of desperation on his face, son in his arms was Rick Grimes. Rick Grimes as in the Rick Grimes Piper had known for more than twenty years. Before Piper could say anything, Rick walked right passed her, which, under the circumstances was understandable. The brunette stood on the porch as Hershel began barking out orders to everyone in the house. She was at a loss for what to do. Going in and saying, "Hey Rick! It's me, Piper! I'm alive!" probably wasn't the best thing for a man whose kid was just shot. But, on the other hand, Piper was concerned. It was Carl, after all. She'd known the kid his whole life. To say she wasn't worried would be a lie. But going inside just didn't feel right. So she paced. It was kind of her thing, pacing. Rick and Shane always found it irritating, but it was how she worked. She paced when she was nervous, paced when she was worried, paced when she was excited, she paced when she had energy. She heard the commotion going on inside and shuddered. She hated blood - which, for a detective and now for a woman living in a world full of walking dead people, was kind of ironic. She hated the thought of Carl getting shot almost as much as she hated the process of getting the bullet out. Which, if said out loud, sounded bad. She inhaled deeply and exhaled trying to block the thought of blood and bullets and whatnot out of her mind.

"Where's Otis?" she thought aloud. Just as she did, she heard the creaking of the door as Rick emerged from the house, distraught, and two men came up to the steps. She hadn't even noticed them coming toward the house. She turned toward the three men. Immediately her eyes widened, her stomach did flip flops, and her heart began to race. Shane Walsh was standing in front of her. Her best friend, Shane Walsh. The Shane Walsh she thought was dead. The Shane Walsh she missed and loved and had known her whole life.

"He's alive?" Otis asked, "Is he still alive?"

Piper was speechless, all she could do was watch the scene unfold. Rick hadn't responded to Otis' question, instead, he wiped his bloody hand on his forehead in a daze. Shane, as loving as ever, grabbed a rag from his bag and wiped the blood off as best he could reassuring Rick that everything would be alright. And, just as soon as he appeared, Shane disappeared into the house with Rick and Otis.

* * *

"Leroy, man, I seriously don't know what to do," she let out a deep sigh as her horse nibbled contently on the green grass just outside the house.

He snorted.

"Carl's lying in there, shot. God knows if he'll make it out of this," she picked at the blades of grass surrounding her, "I don't even know how he's doing," Piper felt a lump in her throat, "I don't know if the bullet was clean, if it broke, what. "

Leroy continued to eat, swishing his tail at any flies that dared go near it.

Piper dropped the lead rope, letting it rest in her lap and put her head in her hands, "And then, how do I let my best friend know I'm alive without sounding selfish?" she laughed in frustration, "This is absolutely ridiculous. I think fate or destiny has a twisted sense of humor," Piper shook her head back and forth, "Hey, Rick, Shane. Yeah, Rick, I know your son just got shot and all, and yeah, I know you both love him, but let's take a second to have a little heartfelt reunion. Pay attention to ME," Piper chuffed, "Seriously Lee. I don't wanna just waltz in there and drop a bombshell on top of a tragedy."

Piper looked at the chestnut. He was so simple. He was so lucky.

"Yeah, you just chomp away at that grass, chubs."

Leroy raised his head up and shook it his tail continuing to swish.

"Squirrel cheeks."

The chestnut ignored her.

"Sweet," Piper rolled her eyes.

* * *

The inside of the house was a welcome change to the beating sun outdoors. As Piper made her way to the kitchen for a glass of water, she heard voices. Rick and Shane. It seemed to be just the two of them.

_You're not going to get the two of them alone again. Just say you're alive and that you'll catch up later._

"Yeah, ok. Go now. Do it," Piper coaxed herself.

"Is that why I got out of that hospital? Found my family for it to end here, like this? " Rick asked Shane as Piper approached the men. The stairs were still an option. She considered dashing up the stairs, but thought against it, sitting on them instead, "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"You know, I've been asking myself that ever since you got here," Piper interrupted from her point on the stairs.

At the same time, Rick and Shane turned to see who spoke. They looked stunned when they saw the brunette. She waved awkwardly at the two men.

Piper bit her lip before speaking again, "I thought, 'Well, my best friend's gone, I know my other friend's been shot. Parents gone...' You get it, right? And then I make my way to this farm - completely by an accidental run-in. And then you show up. And it's weird because when you see someone you thought was dead, you're supposed to be happy. You know? And I am, but the circumstances - someone's got a twisted sense of humor," she looked up and half smiled.

Before they could say anything, Maggie called for Rick. Carl needed blood. Rick followed Maggie into the bedroom and Shane stood up. He looked at Piper who remained on the stairs.

_I missed you._

_I know. Me too. _

"Dad!" Piper heard Carl cry inside the bedroom as Shane made his way too the doorway.

"You! Hold him down!" Hershel ordered.

Piper held her head in her hands as Carl screamed.

"YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Rick yelled.

She was going to be sick. Or faint. Either of the two. She suspected both, however. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the screaming stopped and Piper got herself together. She waited ten minutes before knocking on the bedroom door. Maggie opened it and let her in. Her eyes went to the bed; Carl lay there, passed out, his stomach bandaged. Hershel was taking his blood pressure which Patricia was giving him a blood transfusion. Piper walked slowly over to the window where Shane was leaning up against the dresser.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey," he whispered, he placed a hand on her shoulder, "S'good to see you."

Piper nodded.

It was good to see Shane, despite the circumstances. Fate had a sick, sick sense of humor, but part of Piper was glad it played a joke on her.


	4. Hello, Goodbye

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **Ok, a couple technicality notes that I want to make. 1. I said it the Prologue that the rating was subject to change. As of now, this story is rated M, mostly because there will be adult themes in the future as well as cursing. Just wanted to get the rating change out of the way. 2. And I _should _have said this in the beginning, but neglected to; this story will be about 98% canon with the actual show (when it comes to some dialogue and scenes/plot turning points/etc) Because this is a Shane/OC fic, it's imperative that we keep this man alive, so some conversations/events will not happen - which is the 2%.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

_**Hello, Goodbye**  
_

Piper stood quietly next to Rick as Shane persuaded Rick to stay by Carl's bedside, "If he slipped away, while you were gone, you would never forgive yourself for that," he looked at his friend, "And neither would Lori, man."

Rick covered his eyes with his hands. He was in deep thought. He wanted so badly for his wife to be there, to be with Carl. But Piper agreed with Shane; Rick couldn't leave Carl's bedside. She knew that things could happen in an instant and, Shane wouldn't let Rick take the chance of leaving Carl only for him to slip away. Piper bit her lip, she wasn't about to let Rick walk out the door either - even if it was to find Lori.

Finally, Rick turned to Shane, "You're right."

"When was I ever wrong?" Shane gave a sideways smile and let out a chuff which caused Piper to smirk - he had a point.

"He's got a point there, Rick," she interjected placing a hand on Rick's shoulder and he looked up at her giving her smile - it was soft and barely noticeable, but it was a smile.

Shane nodded at the support and addressed Rick once more, "When you were in that hospital, the one you were never 'sposed to leave, man," he sighed, "You shoulda' seen Lori," he paused before inching closer to Rick, "It's like, the strength of that woman, " Rick nodded at Shane's words, knowing exactly how strong his wife could be when it came to certain situations, "Mean, you can't imagine it."

Shane put a hand on Rick's other shoulder and looked at him square in the eyes, encouragement in his own, "See, that's what you gotta' have now. Carl, he needs that from you. So you wire yourself tight, my friend, you hear?" Shane placed his other hand on Rick's cheek and brought their foreheads together.

Piper gave a small smile as Rick reached up and put his hand on Shane, it was nice to see that, after everything, the world going to shit, Shane and Rick had remained good friends; always there for one another, no matter what the circumstance.

"You got the hard part, you just, leave the rest to me, ok?"

"Alright," Rick replied softly.

Suddenly, Hershel emerged wiping his hands with a cloth and the two men broke apart. Hershel looked at the anxious Rick and delivered the current news, "He's out of danger for the moment," Piper breathed a sigh of relief. _But_, there was always a "but", "But I need to remove those remaining bullet fragments."

"How?" Rick looked at the older man, "You saw how he was."

"I know, and that was the shallowest one, I need to go deeper to get the others," Hershel explained.

"Jesus," Piper whispered and looked at Shane. He gave her a "we'll take care of this" look.

"There's more."

"Tell me," Rick said embracing himself for worse news - as if it could get any worse.

"His belly's distended, his pressure's dropped - which mean's there's internal bleeding," Hershel looked somber, "A fragment must of nicked one of the blood vessels."

Rick looked down not wanting to believe was he was hearing, but Hershel continued, "I'll have to open him up; find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while I'm in there - I mean at all. If he reacts the same as before, I'll severe an artery and he'll be dead in minutes. "

Piper looked at Shane again for a reassurance. The man seemed to be the rock of the three friends; as he remained the picture of calm - or at least tried to.

"To even try this, I have to put him under. But if I do, he won't be able to breath on his own - same bad results."

Piper felt for her friend; he had been given piss-poor options; keep your son awake, severe and artery and kill him, put your son under and he stops breathing.

"What'll it take?"

Otis approached the men and Piper, "You need a respirator. What else?" he asked Hershel.

"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes..." as Hershel listed off the components to pull off a miracle, Piper shook her head - it was next to impossible to find modern day medical equipment in a world that had gone old fashioned.

"If you had all that, you could save him?" Rick asked, hopeful.

"If I had all that, I could try," Hershel was truthful.

"I'm not one for false hope, where do you expect to find these things? It's not like there's a hospital two miles down the road," Piper said matter of factly.

"The nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago," Otis thought for a moment, "The high school."

"That's what I was thinking," Hershel said.

"What's so important about the high school?" Piper questioned.

"They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need," Hershel answered.

"The place was overrun the last time I saw it, you couldn't get near it - maybe its better now."

"I said leave the rest to me," Shane paused, "S'to late to take that back?" he joked.

Piper's eyes widened - he wasn't seriously going to the high school. And definitely not alone. Piper wasn't going to let her best friend - the best friend she just found out was alive and well. The best friend she had so much to tell and so much to hear about, go alone to a high school that was more than likely crawling with walkers. He wasn't about to risk his life - at least not alone.

"I hate you going alone," Rick said.

"I second that," Piper added, "I'll go with you."

Shane gave one of his playful, somewhat cocky smiles, "Come on. Doc, why don't ya' do me a list, draw me a map?"

"You won't need a map," Otis paused, seeming reluctant, "I'll take ya' there. Ain't but five miles."

Piper wanted to tell Shane not to go. She felt better that Otis had voluteered himself to go with Shane - he was probably the better candidate, although, understandably, Patricia didn't think so. At least with Otis, Shane had a better shot of getting what Carl needed and getting out - and quickly and quietly, Piper hoped.

* * *

Piper stood next to Shane outside the blue truck that Otis was packing up. The sendoff committee was outside saying their goodbyes and good lucks. Rick had already told Shane to make it out alive and it was Piper's turn to wish he friend luck.

"Have I ever told you that you're really brave?" she asked watching Patricia and Otis.

"'Few times," Shane looked at the brunette.

"Good, then I don't have to tell you now," she turned to face Shane and put her hand on his cheek, "Come back alright, or I'm going to kick your ass."

Shane smiled and nodded his head, "Yes ma'am."

Piper grinned, "Good," she let her hand fall down, "Stay safe, Shane."

Shane gave another nod and opened up the passenger side door hopping into the truck. Otis met him inside and Piper took her place next to Rick as the truck drove off. She put her hand on Rick's shoulder and he looked at her.

"He'll come back Rick."

Rick looked off at the truck and nodded his head slightly, "I know."


	5. Faith

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay. Lost my muse. Here's the next chapter :)

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

_**Faith**  
_

Piper sat on the Greene's porch railing, Rick next to her, staring off into the distance anxiously. The duo were awaiting a horse and rider to appear - with a passenger, hopefully. While Shane and Otis were off getting Carl what he needed, Maggie was on a different mission; to find Lori and bring her to the Greene house. Although, Piper thought that was easier said than done. The woods were a big place and the odd walker or two lurked all throughout the green brush. Piper bit her lip praying for Maggie to return with Carl's mother.

The screen door suddenly creaked and Hershel appeared from inside the house. He nodded at Piper who smiled, returning a small nod. Then, Hershel walked over to Rick who took a moment to compliment the farm in all of its untouched beauty - Piper couldn't help but agree. The pastures had cows in them, not walkers, and everything appeared so clean, so pure.

"I can't believe how serene it is. How untouched - you're lucky," Rick told the older man.

"We weren't completely unscathed. We lost friends, neighbors. The epidemic took my wife, my stepson," Hershel informed the former sheriff.

"I'm sorry," Rick felt for Hershel - everyone had lost someone in some way or another.

"My daughter's were spared, I'm grateful to God for that," Hershel paused, "These people here; all we've got left is each other. Just hoping we can ride it out in peace 'til there's a cure. "

"And how do you know there will be one?" Piper asked, nosing into the conversation of the two men.

Rick turned to Piper and then looked back at Hershel, "We were at the CDC - it's gone now. There is no cure."

Hershel smiled, "I don't believe it. When AIDS came along, everyone panicked. One boy in town came down with it, and some parents pulled their children from school so they didn't have to sit in the same room."

"But this is different. This is dangerous different," Piper responded.

"That's what we always say; this one's different," Hershel argued.

"Well this one is," Rick replied.

Hershel smiled again, "Mankind's been fightin' plagues from the start! We get our behinds kicked for a while, then we bounce back. It's nature correcting herself, restoring some balance," Hershel explained.

Piper knew that Hershel was a man of faith, but he was beginning to sound quite delusional. What did he think was going to happen? Help was going to come? Help came and it wasn't very helpful. Did he think the virus, whatever it was, was just going to magically go away and those who were dead would just be normal again? Rotting corpses were just that, rotting corpses. There was no return from half of a face, or innards coming out every which way. Those who were gone were gone - never coming back, and Piper wasn't sure Hershel fully grasped that concept.

"I wish I could believe that."

Suddenly, Piper heard the familiar sound of a galloping horse. She stood up and looked out into the distance squinting her eyes in the sunlight. Sure enough, Maggie and her horse were racing toward the house. Piper craned her neck to check for Lori; she was there holding tightly to Maggie. Rick made his way off the porch to meet his wife. Lori looked completely shattered when she dismounted and Rick embraced his wife. Then, the couple made their way into the house for Lori to see her injured son. Piper followed keeping her distance to let Lori have some time to process what was happening. The "I'm glad you're alive's" with the mother could wait until Carl was out of the woods. Piper shut her eyes tightly as she heard Lori's sobs from the bedroom. The entire situation broke her heart. The woman exhaled a bit shaky and walked over to the couch, sitting down gingerly.

She wasn't a very religiously woman - never had been. Her parents never brought her to church when she was a kid and so she didn't bother going as an adult. But she did have faith. Not the kind of faith Hershel had, but faith nonetheless. She wasn't big on praying either. But, when she did, it was always for good reason. She prayed when her mother got sick, when her family was in need, she tried to pray for real and genuine reasons. She assumed that God would be more receptive to a selfless prayer; maybe then he would answer it. So she never really prayed for herself, always for others. And at that moment, the Grimes family needed a prayer.

"Are you there God? It's me, Piper," she smiled to herself, big on the cheesy intro, "Well, see, I kinda just met up with my friends. Their names are Rick and Lori Grimes. I don't know if you can hear or see or whatever how completely broken they are right now," she paused biting the inside of her cheek, thinking about what to say, "Uh. So they're broken, God. Their son, this little boy, Carl, he's been shot. He's hurt really bad right now and it's dark. I hope with every fiber of my being that this kid will make it, I really do," she looked up at the ceiling, "I don't ask for much, but I do request this one thing. Please watch over him, God. Make sure he makes it out," Piper sighed, "Oh, and uh, one more thing! My friend Shane, he's probably in a dicey situation right now...If you could just keep an eye on him, I'd really appreciate it. Alright, thanks. Amen."

She couldn't help but include Shane in her little prayer. The thought of her best friend facing the unknown was terrifying to Piper. What if the high school was flooded with walkers? What if the supplies had been cleared out and the trip was for nothing? Piper didn't want to set up "what if" situations, but she couldn't help it. Her brain was on overdrive about the whole thing.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Shane and Otis left and Rick and Lori, as well as Piper were waiting in Carl's room for their return. If they would return at all. Piper hoped God had heard her prayer and was honoring it. For the sake of Carl, and for her friend, she so hoped He was honoring it.

The brunette leaned up against a dressed quietly and Rick and his wife sat by the boy. Piper kept to herself while Lori and Rick spoke silently.

"Did you ever hear about the time Shane stole Kingsley's car?" Rick asked.

Piper's ears perked up immediately and the brunette chuffed. Lori looked over at her and gave a small smile before replying to her husband, "Yeah."

"Principal's car," Rick went on, "Right out of the teacher's lot. In the middle of the school day, Shane steps out of lunch, makes a beeline to Kingsley's Hyundai," he smirked, "Wires the ignition, peels out, drives down Dylan Drive to the chicken farm out there. You've heard this before. So he pulls it in to one of the big holding pens. Kingsley, he waxed that thing every month. Had the auto shop vacuum it out every week."

Piper chuckled - it was true. Principal Kingsley was obsessed with his car. Which, of course, made the prank funnier.

"Shane, he parks it in this huge pen with a couple a' hundred Rhode Island reds, he busts open bags of seed in the backseat, rolls down all the windows, and then starts sprinting back to school. And how far away was that, Pipe?" Rick turned to the brunette.

Piper shook her head, "At least three miles."

"And he's back in time to finish his sandwich before the bell rings. And then the bell rings and Shane gets up. And when he runs into Kingsley in the hallway he looks out the window and says," Rick turned to Piper again.

She grinned before finishing, " 'Principal Kingsley, your coop's gone' "

Rick chuffed a little at the famous one-liner, "Coop? Like chicken coop?"

"I get it," Lori spoke softly.

"Of course you do, you've heard this story a thousand times. What you said before, you're right. Shane's gonna make it back with what the doctor needs - he'll make it back," Rick reassured more himself than his wife.

Rick was right. Though there was doubt, there was always hope. Hope that Shane would get in and get out safely. Piper had known Shane for all of her life, and if there was one thing she was certain she knew about the man, it was that he would get the job done. He would do anything, whatever it takes, to get a job done. She had little faith, but, if anything, she had faith in that.


	6. Traumatized

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **2 Notes: 1. I've decided to be a lot more careful with my editing a reviewing - I hate spelling/grammar mistakes and I hate when I repeat a word over and over, and I hate when the flow is off, so, I've taken extra care to review this chapter before posting & will do the same with future chapters. 2. Just wanted to toss a "thank you" to the readers - you guys are cool :)

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Traumatized_**

"Look at you, gone from barely eating anything to the grain that these spoiled horses get," Piper said dumping Leroy's dinner into his food bucket. The gelding immediately raced over and began chomping away at his dinner, "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are quite the pig," she chuckled before returning to the grain bin.

"Alrighty, who's next?" she asked scanning the five stalls. One of Hershel's horses, Nelly, banged at her stall door in anticipation, "Alright, honey. I got you, here," Piper said dumping Nelly's grain into her food bin. The mare got to work, devouring her supper, "You're eating like it's going out of style, Nel," she bit her lip, "But then again, for us, maybe it is."

Being a horse lover all of her life, Piper had offered to take care of the horses daily when Hershel told her she could live at the farm. He accepted her offer and Piper gladly accomplished her daily equine tasks. The equine daily care included morning feedings, stall mucking, grooming, turning out, and nighttime feedings.

When all of the horses got their dinners and were munching away contently, Piper sat on an overturned bucket and rubbed her hands on her jeans taking in the sounds of the barn. She listened to the sound of rustling buckets and teeth grinding pellets until something caught her eye. Piper stood up from her seat and walked toward the open door looking out into the darkness. For a brief second, she could have sworn she saw a car's headlights. But maybe she had imagined it. And, suddenly, she heard an engine. She hadn't imagined it. And then, she put two and two together; Engine. Headlights. Shane and Otis? Were they back? Did they get what Hershel needed to operate? Were they alright? A wave of happiness rushed through Piper's entire body; Shane and Otis were alright, Carl was going to be alright because Hershel was a great doctor. Everything was going to be alright. And, feeling a bit giddy, Piper raced from the barn toward the vehicle that had come to a stop in front of the house.

But, as she got closer, her stomach dropped and the giddiness she had felt moments before was gone. The vehicle was not the truck Shane and Otis had gone off with. No, it was a Cherokee of some sort and the passengers were definitely not Shane and Otis. She couldn't tell who they were or what they even looked like, but, from behind, she knew that the men were not the ones she wanted to see.

"Dammit, guys. Where are you?" Piper looked around in the dark, knowing that nobody was going to respond.

After idling outside for a few more minutes, Piper went in to see who the guests were. She found them in the kitchen, with Maggie, who was making them something to eat. One of them was an Asian boy; he was a bit scrawny and looked to be in his early twenties, quite possibly the same age as Maggie. The other, was a black man; he looked older than the Asian, but younger than Piper. He was bald and had more meat on him than the other guest did. Also, he looked like he was hurting, and pretty bad at that.

She smiled softly at the two men who acknowledged her with nods.

"I'm Glenn," the Asian boy gave an awkward smile, "That's T-Dog."

"Piper," she jerked her head toward T-Dog's arm, "That looks like it hurts."

"You have no idea," the man responded.

"I'm gonna go get Patricia after I make these guys something to eat," Maggie told Piper, then, she turned to T-Dog, "She'll stitch it right up."

"Thank the Lord. Didn't know how long I'd have to be on these...painkillers," T-Dog looked repulsed.

"Painkillers?" Maggie asked.

"Yes," Glenn responded for T-Dog. He reached into a backpack and pulled out a pill bottle, handing it to Maggie.

She took a quick look at the medication before giving it to Piper, "Go get Patricia."

* * *

As Patricia worked away at stitching up T-Dog, Piper tried her best to make conversation with the newcomers - she didn't know how long they would be staying, and, if it happened to be a while, she wanted to be as friendly as possible for the duration.

"Soooooo, Merle Dixon? He the friend you got the meds from?" she asked.

"No," Glenn responded, "Merle's no longer with us. Daryl gave us those - his brother."

"Not sure I'd call him a friend," T- Dog added through clenched teeth.

"He is today, this doxycycline might've saved your life," Patricia spoke, "You know what Merle was taking it for?" she looked at Glenn.

"Clap."

"Oh Jesus," Piper smirked and covered her eyes with her hand, shaking her head.

Maggie looked at the man and he corrected himself, "Uh, venereal disease. That's what Daryl said."

"Say Merle Dixon's clap was the best thing that ever happened to you," Patricia turned to T-Dog.

"I'm really trying not to think about that."

"Understandably," Piper muttered watching as Glenn walked out of the room - squeamish, she assumed. She didn't blame him.

Minutes later, when Patricia was finally finished with T-Dog's stitches, Maggie excused herself, and seemed to follow Glenn out the door.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Patricia asked her "patient" as she gingerly put the medical supplies she had used away. T- Dog nodded his head and both he and Patricia stood up, "Need anything?" she addressed Piper.

Piper shook her head holding her hand up, "No thanks, I'm good."

Patricia nodded and lead T-Dog into the kitchen leaving the women alone with her thoughts. Which, of course, was not a good thing.

_Come on Piper, think about anything but those pesky "what if" situations. Puppies and babies - something. _Piper shook the negative thoughts away before they came creeping out of the back of her mind. She had already thought about the possible and multiple fates of Shane and Otis countless times that night and she flat out refused to think about it anymore. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

Piper stood up from her chair and practically tip-toed to the living room - she felt as though she was walking on eggshells around the distraught parents. She feared saying the wrong thing to her friends and quite frankly, although she loved the little boy, she had no desire to see Carl in his state. When Piper got to the room, she collapsed on the couch. She hadn't realized how tired she was until her head hit one of the pillows. In a matter of minutes, the woman passed out.

* * *

Piper awoke two hours later. There was a commotion in the house. She heard Hershel barking orders. She was still fuzzy, but she caught a "On three; one, two three!" Had the men returned? Was Hershel starting the surgery? The still sleepy woman stretched, and, before she could even process, three figures raced past her line of vision. She recognized the figures as Lori, Rick, and Hershel, and that was when she knew.

They were back. The woman rose ignoring the sudden wave of nausea and followed the couple and the vet. The rest of the welcoming committee was already outside when Piper arrived. A limping Shane made his way over to Hershel, a backpack on each shoulder.

_Shane - check. Otis?_ Piper craned her neck to see if the other man was behind the truck. He wasn't.

"Otis?" Hershel asked Piper's question aloud.

Shane's expression said it all. He hadn't made it. Piper looked down at her boots.

"We say nothing to Patricia, not 'til after - I need her!" Hershel was visually upset, but tried to keep his focus on the task at hand. And, with that, the older man raced into the house to get to work on Carl.

Piper slowly sat on the porch steps as Rick embraced his friend and they exchanged a few inaudible words. What the woman did hear, however, was her younger friend quietly sobbing. She didn't have the heart too look up - she knew how much Otis had meant to Maggie, how much he meant to Beth, Hershel, Jimmy, and Patricia especially. It broke Piper's heart to even think about Patricia's reaction to Otis' death.

After a few minutes, Glenn and Maggie had gone inside while T-Dog, Piper, Shane, Rick, and Lori remained outside . It was quiet, nobody spoke, and the five adults were left to listen to their own thoughts and the Georgia nighttime sounds. T-Dog slowly rocked back and forth on the rocking chair he was seated in while Rick and his wife sat on the steps holding one another, waiting for Hershel to come out. Shane, who was resting his hurt ankle, sat on the ground in front of the truck and Piper was right beside her friend. They were sitting. Waiting.

Finally the screen door opened and Hershel, followed by Maggie and Glenn stepped out. Three of the adults, Rick, Lori, and T-Dog immediately stood up to hear the verdict. Piper and Shane soon followed and the man used the truck to balance his weight.

"He's stabilized," Hershel announced.

Rick, as well as Piper gave a sigh of relief. She turned to Shane who was looking at her and she put her arm on his shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. What he did at the school, however he found a way to get back had helped Hershel to save the day, to save Carl.

After the "thank you's" for the doctor, everyone except Piper and Shane went inside. Rick and Hershel were going to break the terrible news to Patricia, and Piper did not want to be around for it. She had already seen Maggie heartbroken over the loss of Otis and the woman wasn't going to be able to handle a woman as kind as Patricia breaking down. So, when the others went in, Piper stayed and then Shane stayed.

"Helluva day," Piper commented to her friend.

He didn't say anything, instead, he just looked to be in a sort of daze. Piper leaned forward from her point on the hood of the truck. After years of knowing the man, she knew essentially everything about him. She knew how to look for "signs" to get a read on his feelings, she knew when he wanted to be left alone, and, most importantly, she knew his "looks". And she knew the look Shane had on his face - she'd seen it before. It wasn't a popular look for Shane - he usually went with a more self-assured, cocky alpha-male type look. The look on Shane's face was one Piper had seen when he was playing with his German Shepherd and it got hit by a car when he was six, or with what happened to Melinda, a middle school sweetheart of his that had been killed in a freak accident. His face at her funeral. Piper thought back, and traumatized was a word that came to mind.

"Shane?" she nudged him, "Shane, are you alright?"

He looked at his friend and cleared his throat, "Yeah, m'alright. I'm goin' inside. You coming?" he asked.

Piper hopped off the hood of the truck not believing a word he said, but accepting his answer for the time being, "Yeah, I'll help you in," she offered.

Surprisingly, Shane, completely out of character, nodded in acceptance of her offer. Piper ducked under Shane's right arm and tried her best to support his body weight as she walked and he hopped across the front lawn, up the steps, and to the front door.

"Thank you," Shane turned to Piper as the entered the house.

"You're welcome - you got it from here?" she asked stepping out from under Shane's arm.

"Yeah."

All seemed quiet in the Greene house. Everyone seemed to have disappeared and the only sound that could be heard was the creaking of the floorboards as Shane and Piper slowly made their way deeper into the house. As they walked, Piper casually stole glances at Shane. The traumatized look he wore on his face had been emphasized by his movements; he looked distraught, distracted, almost disturbed. Overall, he was a complete mess. And, as she opened her mouth to find out what exactly was going on, Maggie appeared holding a pile of clothes.

"The bathroom's upstairs," she handed the clothes to Shane, "Brought you some clothes."

"Thank you."

"They won't fit well - they were Otis'," Maggie gave a small smile before turning away from Piper and Shane and walking back down the hallway in which she came.

"I'm gon' go," Shane mumbled to his friend.

"Yeah, you get cleaned up," Piper rubbed his shoulder gently, "We'll talk later."

Shane nodded and then limped his way to the stairs before ascending up them. Piper exhaled deeply and ambled to the living room where she plopped down on the couch looking around the room. She noticed the pictures, of happier times, on the walls - most of them looked to be of people who were long dead, but there were some of Maggie, Beth, Hershel, and Hershel's wife, Annette. Piper smiled and stood up to get a closer look at a particular photo framed on a side table. It was of Maggie on a cheeky looking bay pony. She didn't look older than six and she wore a huge toothless grin on her face. The picture made Piper think back fondly of her early years as an equestrian. Piper couldn't help but laugh to herself as she thought about the countless amounts of goofy and sometimes stubborn ponies who had taught her young self many lessons.

* * *

After reminiscing to the surprisingly relatable Greene family photos, Piper walked back over to the couch and peeked at the large grandfather clock in the room. She was shocked to see it was twelve in the morning, and, suddenly, she felt tired. She hadn't realized what a long and tiring day it was - for everyone on the farm. The woman, wanting to take a ride on Leroy the next day, decided against staying up any longer. She left the living room and walked up the stairs, heading toward her and Maggie's shared room. As she passed the bathroom, the door was closed, but the water was no longer running.

_Might as well tell him you're going to bed. _Piper knocked softly on the door.

"Shane," she whispered not wanting to wake anyone who was asleep up, "Shane, it's Piper."

The door opened to reveal a wet Shane, his lower half wrapped in only a towel. And, to Piper's surprise, a shaven head. The woman did a double take, "Well that's different. Can I come in?"

Shane half-smiled at Piper's reaction and opened the door wide enough so she could enter, "Sure."

"Thanks," she said walking into the steam-filled room.

He gave her a subtle nod as he grabbed Otis' clothes. Piper grabbed Shane's glock from the lid of the toilet and placed it on the ground beside her, before sitting down on dirt covered clothes. Shane turned away from her, looking at his reflection in the mirror before letting the towel fall to the floor. Piper kept her eyes on Shane's shirt, wrapping the piece of clothing around her hand as he stepped into his boxers, sliding them up around his waist. When he was finished, he looked over his shoulder at Piper, "What?" he asked.

She shrugged, letting go of the worn shirt, "Nothing. You just seem," she paused, thinking, "You just seem off tonight."

"Off?" Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you did just shave off all of your hair," Piper jerked her head toward the razor laying on the edge of the sink.

"Wanted tuh' go for sumpthin' different," Shane turned his whole body back around, but kept his eyes on the floor.

"Shane, don't bullshit me. You know I know you well enough to know when something's up. You're a mess. What the Hell happened out there?" Piper questioned.

The man brought his hand up to his mouth and held it there for a second before clearing his throat and crouched down in front of Piper, "I thought we weren't gon' make it," Shane whispered almost with a sense of urgency. He placed one of his hands on Piper's knees, "Or, only one of us was. I don't know what I was thinkin'," he pointed his other hand to his chest, "I had to make it back, I had to make it back to Carl, make it back to you," Shane rambled.

"What are you saying?"

"We were almost done, but we was down to pistols," Shane inhaled, "Ankle was all swollen up and walkers were everywhere," he gave a long pause, "I had to do what I had to do."

"What did you do?" Piper asked.

"I shot him."


	7. Guilt

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note:** Denied myself of sleep until this chapter was up. I've been working on future chapters (post mid-season finale). I'm really excited for them & have some cool stuff (or at least I hope it's cool) planned out. So yes, this chapter is short...mostly because I wanted to get it out! The next one will be over 2,000 words, promise.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Guilt_**

_I shot him. I had to do it. _Shane's words echoed in Piper's mind as she lay on the spare bed in Maggie's room, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't know how to react to what the man had told her. The only thing she thought to do was place her hand on his and tell him that "everything was going to be alright". But, honestly, she wasn't sure it was.

Being law enforcement, both Piper and Shane apprehended armed suspects every now and again. Of course, they dealt with the situations they were put in differently. Piper was decent at her job, but she always felt broken when she took a life away - despite the fact that most of those lives were completely worthless. On the rare occasions that her and her partner ended up in a fatal shootout against a suspect, Piper was always recommended by her captain to see the NYPD's psychiatrist. It wasn't so much that she felt for who she had killed - she didn't. She wanted the bastards to burn in Hell. It was more so the fact that it became so easy to shoot a human being that terrified Piper. Shane, on the other hand, had no problem taking down a suspect. One quality that Shane had had all his life was the one to make quick decisions. He was a "do now, deal later" type of guy. The "kill or be killed" philosophy was his in the field.

And the "kill or be killed" obviously transferred to his actions earlier that night. But, somehow, the situation was different. Shane left Otis for dead. Shane left an innocent man behind for his own benefit. He hadn't shot a hardened criminal. He had shot a good person. Shane was stuck with that burden; knowing he did such a cruel thing. Piper wasn't sure her friend could live with the decision he made.

Piper turned her head and looked over at a sleeping Maggie. She had no idea what had happened to Otis. For all she knew, Otis had gotten himself killed. For all anyone knew, Otis had sacrificed himself and when Shane turned around it was "too late". What Piper knew was to be kept secret. Shane had told her everything in confidence. A confidence that was to never be broken.

* * *

Piper yawned as she tossed a large rock to Jimmy. She, Jimmy, Beth, Shane, T-Dog, Glenn, and Maggie were preparing a sort of memorial for Otis. Hershel had insisted on a service for the man and everyone agreed.

"Tired?" the teen asked her dropping the rock into a wheelbarrow.

Piper nodded her head. She had been up all night thinking about what Shane had told her. She had rationalized why he did what he did, but it had taken Piper the whole night to believe her friend actually committed the act. She didn't want to think of her friend as a murderer, but Piper didn't know what else to call it. She spent the morning observing Shane; there was something very interesting about the ground. She knew he felt remorse for his actions. That remorse separated her friend from a regular cold hearted killer. That had to be good enough.

At the sound of a very loud engine, the small group's focus turned from their morning task to the Greene's long driveway. Driving up was a small caravan; a motorcycle, some Hyundai, and a Winnebago. Piper watched as the vehicles made their way onto the property.

"I'll go get them," T-Dog stated before jogging toward the house.

Everyone else, except for Shane and Piper who lagged behind, walked briskly toward the parked vehicles as the passengers slowly got out. Piper started to follow, but the man grabbed her forearm. Piper turned around and eyed her friend.

Shane released Piper's arm, "Did you mean it?" he asked staring at his work boots.

"Mean what?" Piper asked, curious.

"You tol'me everything was gon' be alright," Shane looked at Piper, "Did you mean it?"

Piper bit her lip, "The best I can give you? I'm not sure. But if it's not, you can bet I'll do my best to make it better. You're not alone in this, Shane. You have me," she smiled reassuringly.

He smirked, "Guess I do," his head turned to look at the group that had formed outside the house, "Come on now, gotta' get over there - be the welcoming committee or something."

When the stragglers reach the group, Piper took on an observatory role standing awkwardly next to her friend. Shane looked as awkward as Piper, shifting uncomfortably at the mention of his name. There were four new faces on the farm; an old man who looked suited up to walk his Yorkie around "Florida's friendliest hometown", a sleeveless outdoorsy-type with a crossbow slung on his shoulder, a pretty blonde with a hardened expression, and a woman, older than the blonde, with grey hair and delicate features. A collective sigh of relief and hugs were exchanged all around when Rick informed the group Carl had made it out of the woods.

"If you wouldn't mind," Hershel interrupted the multiple conversations going on among the group members, "I'd like to start the service."

Everyone stood quietly as Hershel spoke of the man Otis was, "Blessed be God, Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Praise be to him, for the gift of our brother, Otis. For his span of years, for his abundance of character. Otis; who gave his life to save a child's. Now more than ever, our most precious asset," Hershel went on.

In the middle of his eulogy, Piper blocked Hershel out. She couldn't listen to Hershel while she knew the truth about what had happened. She knew that if she couldn't stand it, it had to be killing Shane. Piper didn't dare look up at the man - the broken and remorseful expression he had been wearing broke the woman's heart. So her eyes were glued to her boots and she thought about anything else but where she was.

"Shane? Will you speak for Otis?" Hershel suddenly asked, disrupting Piper's thoughts.

"M'not good at it," Shane mumbled, "M'sorry."

"You were the last one with him. You shared his final moments. Please, I need to hear. I need to know his death had meaning," Patricia pleaded.

There was a long pause, and finally, Shane spoke, "We were about done - almost outta' ammo. We were down to pistols by the end. I wa' 'slimpin'. S'bad; ankle all swollen up," he paused, "We gotta' save the boy. See, thas wha' he said. He gave me his backpack, he sent me ahead. He said, he said I'll take the rear, I'll cover you. And when I looked back," Shane limped over to the wheelbarrow, "If not for Otis, I'dda never made it out alive. And that goes for Carl too. It was Otis. He saved us both," he looked Patricia in the eye for the first time, "If any death ever had meaning, it was his. "

* * *

Piper leaned up against the passenger's side door of the Cherokee as Maggie brought over a large map. She had been read up on the arriving group members as well as the "back story". The search was on for a little girl. In the back of her mind, Piper was fully aware that there was a very slim chance of finding Sophia, but she didn't want to admit it. For all anyone knew, Sophia was hiding out in a tree somewhere waiting for someone to find her. That was what Piper wanted to believe.

"We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams," Rick announced his plan.

"Not you, not today," Hershel told the man, "You gave three units of blood. You wouldn't be hiking five minutes in this heat before passing out. And your ankle," he addressed Shane, "Push it now, you'll be laid up a month. No good to anybody."

Piper raised her hand, "I can go, right doc?"

"I don't know how I feel about that," Rick turned to Shane.

"He'sright, Pipe."

"I do know how to handle myself and a weapon. In case you forgot, I was a detective."

"I would feel better if you were back at camp," Rick told the woman.

Piper sighed in defeat. She knew that she would be fine on her own, but, thinking about it, didn't even know what the little girl looked like.

"Guess it's jus' me," Daryl said looking at the map, "I'mma head back to the creek, work my way from there."

"I can still be useful. Drive up the interstate, see if Sophia wandered back," Shane added.

"Tomorra' then," Rick declared, "We'll start doing this right."


	8. Enthusiasm

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **HOLY SHITBALLS. Did you guys see the season three trailer? OMG. I cannot wait! And, uh, on a story note; I've got this thing planned out pretty far - like, I know what the last chapter's gonna be about. But, just in case I decide to make a sequel, I'll definitely love the challenge of writing not only Piper, but Shane into season three.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reuinted with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Enthusiasm_**

After the search plans had been made, Rick's group went to work about setting up camp. Piper knew that Hershel wasn't open to new people - that became clear when she was practically on her knees begging the man to let her stay. If Maggie hadn't stepped in and given Hershel the extra push, Piper and Leroy would be out on their own again. And for Hershel, accepting two more bodies on the farm was enough. But ten more mouths to feed? The old man was going to need a little more persuasion than a "Dad, please?"

But the weary travelers looked hopeful. And rightfully so - the farm had everything; fresh water, food, an incredible scenery, and there was the fact that it was completely walker-free. She didn't know most of them, but she was hoping their stay wasn't just temporary.

"Hey you - just gon' sit there or you gonna help me clean some guns?" Shane asked a daydreaming Piper, setting the large bag of guns down on a picnic table.

Piper looked at Shane from her spot on the nearby hammock, "Shane, where did your manners go?"

The man shook his head and chuckled, "Make it worth your while."

Piper spent a few seconds pretending to think about the offer, "Alright," she got off the hammock and walked over to the picnic table, "If you insist."

The woman grabbed for one of the handguns and sat down just as Andrea approached the pair, "Give up our guns?" The blonde questioned, clearly annoyed by Hershel's request and Rick's quickness to oblige.

"You heard Rick, we're guests here." Shane took off his POLICE hat, and placed it down on the table.

"And you're okay with that?"

"I don't recall bein' asked to lay down your weapon," Shane turned his attention to the bag.

"You may like rolling over, but I don't," Andrea sassed.

"Oooh," Piper made a face unloading the Glock she'd selected. The blonde had some attitude. An attitude that was sure to drive Shane absolutely nuts.

Shane looked down at Piper before replying, "Look, I gotta' strip 'em clean anyway. Still wanna learn?"

Piper looked from Andrea to Shane to Andrea again as the two sat down; Shane next to Piper, Andrea on the opposite side. Piper was beginning to feel a bit like a third wheel. There was a clear _something _between Shane and Andrea. She wasn't sure what it was; tension was a good word. Whether it was sexual or not was still the big question.

"Unload your weapon," Shane began his lesson.

Piper looked up to see Andrea point her gun toward Shane as she went for the clip, "Woah -"

"Hey, hey," Shane turned the gun away, "Check the chamber. Pull it back," he instructed once the clip was out, "Push that lever out - it'll slide off," Piper watched as the blonde did as she was told. Piper smiled at Andrea's enthusiasm over the whole thing, "You're halfway there."

Once Andrea understood the basics, the three went about cleaning the weapons in silence. Piper didn't mind the silence. In fact, she found comfort in sitting quietly. Especially with a friend. The other woman, however, wasn't content to sit in silence, "So how do you two know each other?"

Shane and Piper looked at each other. Long story.

"Cliff notes version?" Piper took a breath and continued, "Our moms went to high school and then college together. They were great friends," she jerked her thumb toward Shane who had stopped cleaning his gun, "He was what - two - when I was born. Anyways, when I was old enough to walk, I started following him around," Piper nudged Shane, "Of course he's always been a ladies man, so he didn't really have an issue with me on his tail twenty-four seven. Over time, we became the best of friends. And as they say, the rest is history."

Andrea smiled and nodded her head, "So you two have never...?"

Shane chuffed and Piper stared at the other woman blankly. She knew what Andrea meant, but in dealing with her cousin, close friends, and all around nosy people, Piper learned that if she pretended not to know, the subject of a possible relationship between her and her friend would be dropped. Andrea got the message.

"Alright, wrong question. Uh, what did you do before things went to Hell?" Andrea changed the subject.

"Took me a while to settle, but I found my calling at the NYPD - sex crimes unit."

"What made you decide to do that?" Andrea tilted her head, genuinely curious.

Piper shrugged, "I wanted to do something good, you know? Put away the bastards that deserved to rot for in a cell for the rest of their lives. What about you, Andrea? What was your deal?"

"I was a civil rights lawyer," Andrea replied.

"Oh!" Piper's eyes brightened, "So you're like the order to my law or, uh, I'm the law to your order!"

Shane snorted and shook his head slowly, returning his attention back to the gun he was working on.

Ignoring Shane, Andrea chuckled at Piper's sudden enthusiasm, "Well yeah, I guess I am!"

Andrea was alright by Piper. She wasn't the type of person Piper would normally choose as a girlfriend. Andrea definitely had a strong personality, which was something Piper admired in anyone. She was outspoken; it was a quality that Piper retained as well. Which, of course could lead to many conflicts in a friendship. However, despite that, Piper found herself wanting to be Andrea's friend.

The three went back to cleaning in silence until Glenn came jogging over to the picnic table. They all turned their attention to the young man.

"What's up, Glenn?" Shane asked setting down his weapon.

"Walker. It's in the well. Dale found it," he spoke quickly.

"A walker?" Andrea stood up. Shane and Piper followed the suite.

Shane squinted a bit and rubbed his head, deciding on the course of action, "We needa' get that thing outta' there."

Piper was not prepared for what she saw when she looked in the well. It was definitely a walker, but something was seriously wrong with it - and more than usual. Not only did it have the usual bite marks and obvious decay, but its time in the well had made it bloated. Piper made a face when it realized food was near - the demented walker reached its swelled arms up and let out a snarl.

"Looks like we got a swimmer," Dale said shining his flashlight on the creature.

"How long do you think it's been down there?" Glenn examined the bloated walker.

"Long enough to grow gills," Andrea answered, a look of disgust contorted her features.

"We can't leave it in there," Lori shook her head slowly, "God knows what it's doing to the water."

"Agreed," Piper added.

"We got to get it out," Shane said.

"Easy - put a bullet in its head," T-Dog suggested, "I'll get a rope."

"Woah, woah guys. No," Maggie interrupted.

"Why not?" Glenn asked, "It's a good plan."

"It's a stupid plan," Andrea replied, "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing its brains out will finish the job."

"She's right. We can't risk that," Piper nodded her head.

"So it has to come out alive," T-Dog looked at Shane.

Shane bit his lip, "So to speak."

The group learned very quickly that walkers were not interested in what the butcher was serving up. The ham that was so kindly offered did not do the trick. The creature simply stared at the ham Dale dangled in front of its face.

"I don't think he wants it, you guys," Piper observed as the walker turned its attention away from the ham and onto her.

"Yeah, 'cause a canned ham don't kick and scream when you try to eat it," T-Dog replied to the comment.

"He's right. There's a reason the dead didn't come back to life and start raiding our cupboards," Lori pointed out.

"So what now?" Piper asked.

"We need live bait," Andrea turned to Glenn.

Glenn was less than enthusiastic to say the least. After some coaxing on Shane's part, the kid finally agreed to take a trip down the well. When Glenn was secured in his "harness", everyone readied themselves at the opposite end to slowly lower him down.

"Nice and slow, please," Glenn requested from his spot at the top of the well.

"We gotcha," Andrea reassured him.

Slowly and steadily the group began to give the rope some slack, lowering Glenn down into the well. Piper focused on the rope in her hands as she released it bits at a time.

"A little lower," Maggie instructed as she kept an eye on the descending Glenn.

Things were running smoothly enough until, out of nowhere, the rusty water pump the heavy-duty rope was wrapped around gave way. It took everyone by surprise as the pump began coming off its hinges and then, it completely broke away from where it had been bolted on. There was a scramble for the rope that had been ripped out of everyone's hands by the unexpected action. It was a cluster of limbs and bodies all trying to hold onto the rope. Piper reached over Shane and grabbed for the strained rope, hearing Glenn's screams of panic from in the well. Those topside backed away from the well and finally it was Shane who grabbed the rope and pulled. Within seconds, Glenn appeared and everyone rushed to his side.

"Back to the drawing board," Dale sighed.

Glenn looked at the old man and stood up slowly, "Says you," he handed Dale the other rope.

Everyone looked down into the well. Sure enough, the loop was around the walker's neck. Despite his near-death experience, Glenn had gotten the job done.

"So now what?" Andrea asked, crossing her arms, "We can't lift that thing on its own."

"I got one thing in mind," Shane looked at Piper jerking his thumb toward the horse barn.

"Give me five minutes."

The first thing Piper heard when she entered the small building was a chorus of snorts and nickers from expectant equines. She shook her head at the hagglers, "Not now you guys. Leroy's got a job to do," she entered the small tack room and grabbed Leroy's equipment from its rack. The sound of his girth jingling made the gelding poke his head over his door. Piper set the tack down and unlatched Leroy's stall door, "Let's get to work."

Minutes later Piper emerged from the barn, Leroy in tow. Heads turned as horse and rider approached the scene. When Piper and Leroy arrived at the well, the woman turned to Shane, "This is what you meant, right?"

The man gave his signature sideways grin, "Thas' exactly what I was thinkin'."

With Leroy at the front, a rope attached to the rings on his endurance saddle, the group began pulling the walker out of the well. Piper held onto the chin strap of Leroy's bridle and kept the horse moving at a slow pace as the others strained themselves to pull up the creature at the end of the rope.

"Come on ya'll - together!" Shane commanded as the group pulled the growling walker.

Finally, Piper could see its deformed head, the former human looked even more disgusting out of water. It snarled and reached for T-Dog who was the closest. The noises it made alone was enough to make Piper sick, but its bulging eyes and glistening skin had her gagging. And before anyone realized what was happening, the walker's innards gushed out as its body split in two - its lower half fell back into the well, making a splash as it hit the water, and its upper half lay on the ground, its chubby arms reaching up toward the group. There was no doubt that Piper had seen some pretty nasty stuff in her line of work, but that was it; she turned her head toward Leroy's neck trying her best not to get sick.

Dale shook his head slowly in defeat, "Seal off this well."

Shane rubbed his head, irritated, "Might be a good idea," the man ran his tongue over his lips.

Andrea pointed at the half-of-a-walker, "So what do we do about -"

The blonde was interrupted by the sound of T-Dog smashing away at the walker's skull. Asked and answered.

* * *

Piper adjusted the strap of her bag as she walked across the Greene's front lawn to the circle of tents. Shane had invited her to stay in his tent - just like "old times". Although, "old times" was about a lifetime and a half ago. Piper had fond memories though - fond memories of staying up late with Shane, a horror movie, and a bowl of popcorn. The next morning the two would wake up in either the Walsh or Bell living room sore, but smiling. Piper grinned thinking about the purity of those nights. She preferred a movie and Shane over the petty gossip at a girlfriend's slumber party. For Piper, it wasn't much of a party.

"Shane? Can I come in?" she asked when she reached the man's tent.

"Yeah," Shane responded opening the flap for Piper.

"You sure you want me here? I can always move back in with Maggie," Piper kicked off her Timberland boots and set her duffel bag on the floor of Shane's tent.

Shane sat on his sleeping bag and began to unlace his boots, "Rather have you than twiddle my thumbs all night."

Piper placed her hand on her chest, "I'm touched," she laughed, "But seriously, trouble sleeping?" she asked unrolling the sleeping bag she borrowed from Maggie.

Shane nodded slightly, "You?"

"Seems to be common these days," Piper sighed and twirled her index finger around a few times, "Turn around."

Shane smirked as he turned his head, focusing on a lone mosquito that had made its way into the tent.

Satisfied, Piper took off her gray v-neck t-shirt revealing the black lace tank top she'd opted to wear underneath it. Then, the woman unbuckled her belt and kicked off her dark wash jeans. Piper then dug around in her duffel bag until she found her sweatpants. She slid them on and adjusted the drawstring, "Alright, you're good."

The man turned his attention back onto his friend, his brow furrowing a bit, "You gon' be warm enough in that?"

"This?" Piper tugged on the end of her tank top, "Probably not, but I think I have a sweatshirt in here somewhere," the brunette began to dig around in her duffel again.

"Forget it," Shane reached over and grabbed a jacket that lay on top of his suitcase, "It'll keep you much warmer than a skimpy ol' sweatshirt of yours."

Piper smiled warmly at her friend, accepting the jacket. She put her arms through the over-sized garment, "Thanks, Shane."

The man nodded his head as he settled down on top of his sleeping bag. Piper did the same, nestling herself inside Maggie's sleeping bag. And for the first time in months, the pair felt safe enough to get some real sleep.


	9. The Alpha

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **I wanted to include a sort of background story and Jon's real life tattoo gave me some inspiration I suppose. I also included some cute Shane/Piper interaction in the beginning. Aaaand, I feel like this is VERY cliché, but I REALLY want Piper and Andrea to be buds. They have a lot in common. Be sure to review if you enjoyed it :)

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_The Alpha_**

The sun had been up for an hour or so before Piper woke up and the woman took a moment to adjust to the daylight as she slowly opened her eyes. The brunette yawned and stretched her arms, clocking Shane's face in the process.

"Ooops," Piper stifled a laugh as her friend ran his hand over his eyes, down to his nose. Piper reached up and stroked over his hand affectionately, "Sorry."

"Jesus lady - you're dangerous," Shane joked, she didn't hit him that hard, and within seconds he was fully recovered from his brush with Piper's hand, "Shoulda' known you was trouble; stealin' my clothes, tryin' beat me," he smirked.

"Oh hush up, Shane," Piper sat up, "I didn't know in our time apart turned you into such a drama queen," the woman laughed, "I'm moving back in with Maggie."

Shane chuffed, "Looks like you forgot who I was."

"Riiiiiight," Piper nodded slowly, "You're Shane Walsh, that correct?" she pointed at him, "Sorry, must have mistaken you for someone else. Won't happen again," Piper grinned, "I know how sensitive you are about it.

The conversation reminded Piper of those they used to have back in high school. Though Shane was a couple of years older and very busy - mostly with football and the senior girls that fawned all over him - he still took time out to spend time with his childhood friend. After all, throughout the years, Piper had remained a constant in Shane's life and likewise, Shane in Piper's life. The pair would spend their time at the park, mostly, sitting on the swings rocking back and forth. Sometimes they would sit in silence, watching the cars pass by, other times, they would talk. Some conversations were deep; about life, mostly. Advice was always something that was given on the swings. And on some of the lighter days, the pair would sit and make jokes and reminisce on earlier memories.

"Come on," Piper patted Shane's knee, "Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey!"

Shane rubbed his eyes once more and sat up, "Don't recall you bein' this annoying in the morning. What time is it anyway?"

Piper backhanded Shane's stomach, "No Shane, I smell eggs and bacon. This is good stuff. Aaaaand," Piper looked at the wristwatch that was sure to run out of battery any day, "It's seven. I'm sure everyone else is up."

Piper's assumption was right; when they emerged from the tent, breakfast was already on, and everyone was around the fire. Piper took a seat in between Glenn and Andrea on an empty camping chair. There was a round of "good morning's" before Carol offered Piper a plate of bacon and eggs. Piper thanked the kind woman and began eating.

"When everyone's finished with breakfast, I wanna reconvene with the map. We'll set up a search grid and split into teams," Rick shoved a forkful of egg into his mouth.

After breakfast, Rick, Piper, Shane, T-Dog, Daryl, and Andrea met by Carol's Cherokee. The map was spread across the hood of the vehicle and Rick was assigning designated search grids. As he was doing so, Jimmy approached the small group, "I'd like to help," the boy interjected, "I know the area pretty well and stuff."

Rick faced the teen, "Hershel's okay with this?"

"Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you."

"Alright then, thanks."

"Nothin' about what Daryl found's screamin' Sophia to me," Piper heard Shane's voice from the other side of the car, "Anyone coulda' been hold up in that farmhouse."

"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea spoke.

"Well, whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay high," Daryl held his arm up.

"So that makes sense," Piper shrugged.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again," Rick sounded hopeful.

"No 'maybe' about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse," Daryl pointed at the map, "Head up to this ridge right here. Get a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her."

"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too," T-Dog mocked.

"Chupacabra?" Rick asked.

"Chupa-what?" Piper's head tilted slightly.

"You never heard this?" Dale, who had come to deliver the gun bag, asked, "First night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of the time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."

Jimmy couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you brayin' at jackass?" Daryl glared at Jimmy.

"You really believe in a blood sucking dog?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

"You believe in dead people walking around," Daryl retorted.

Piper saw Jimmy eyeing the shotgun on the hood of the car, and without asking, the teenager grabbed for it and Rick was quick to stop him, "Hey, hey - ever fire one before?"

"Well, if I'm going out, I want one," Jimmy insisted.

"Yeah, and people in Hell want slurpees," with that, Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and went on his way toward the horse barn.

Piper watched him go and considered warning him about one of Hershel's horses, Nelly. Piper was used to an English saddle, but she'd sat in a western type many times in her years of riding. All of Hershel's horses rode in western saddles and Piper couldn't help herself. She'd been on the backs every horse stabled at the Greene farm. Nelly in particular was a very good mount; she had smooth gates, listened to leg aids well, and was eager and willing to please. However, she was not a beginner horse. She was spooky and if she so happened to hear a branch fall in the woods, she would be off and Daryl would end up on the ground.

"Piper?" Rick's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah?" the brunette turned her attention back to the others.

"I need you to go with Jimmy, watch his back - Shane and I will be one pair, Andrea and T-Dog another."

"I was almost thinking I should go with Daryl. I don't want him riding anyone he can't handle - especially alone," Piper glanced over at the horse barn.

Shane shook his head, "Pipe, Daryl's got in under control. You've got experience and until we get some gun training in order, we need you to back him up," Shane gestured toward the seventeen year old.

Piper sighed, "Alright," she patted Jimmy on the back, "Guess you're stuck with me!"

Jimmy chuckled, "I don't mind _that_ so much."

* * *

Piper and Jimmy were the first pair to arrive back at camp. As soon as they returned, Jimmy immediately went about his chores while Piper attempted to help out in whatever way she could. There was a big "thank you" dinner in the works and Lori was at the head of it all. But both Lori and Piper knew all to well that the kitchen was no place for Piper. She was a terrible cook; if ever she attempted to make a "special" dinner, the best case scenario was that it just didn't taste good. The worst case ended in bandages all over her hand or the fire department being called. Piper's one and only specialty was cereal and ordering takeout. With the cooking option out, Piper turned to something she was good at; riding. In one hour, Piper had exercised Leroy and all Hershel's horses, but Nelly. Naturally it was the mare that Daryl chose as his mount. She could only hope that things were going smoothly wherever Daryl was.

When she exited the barn, all the horses having been cared for, Piper wiped her hands on her jeans and looked around, squinting her eyes at the bright Georgia sun. From a distance, Andrea caught her eye; it was her turn on watch and she was looking through the scope of Dale's rifle on top of the RV. She looked very gung-ho about being on watch too - like a kid on Christmas who had just received the greatest present of their life. Piper smiled and started toward the vehicle.

When she reached the Winnebago, Piper grabbed unto the ladder and climb up, "Hiya!" Piper waved at the blonde once she was on the roof.

Andrea lowered the rifle and rested it against her side, "Hey," she replied with an automatic smile.

"Mind if I join you for a bit? I'm off duty," Piper joked, sitting on the blue beach chair. Andrea nodded and lifted the gun a second time, playing sniper.

"What's with the Annie Oakley routine?" Piper heard Dale's voice from the ground. She looked down and saw the man looking up at Andrea a jug of water in his hand.

"I don't wanna wash clothes anymore, Dale," she turned to him, "I wanna help keep the camp safe. Is that alright with you?"

Dale just stood for a moment looking a bit confused and then disappeared into the RV.

Andrea looked agitated. Piper understood. Dale was definitely the over-bearing father-like figure; word around camp was that he'd taken Andrea's gun, and she did not like that one bit. On the other hand, though, she did sympathize with Dale. Her father had always been protective. _Do this. No, don't do that. What were you thinking? _When she was younger, his constant reminders used to drive her nuts. Even as an adult – a cop, no less – his expression of concern for her well-being went on. Without him, however, she missed the sound of his voice. Dale seemed to really care for Andrea, just like a father would for his daughter.

"What's up with that?" Piper asked, curious about Andrea's resentment, "I've done my fair share of clothes washing."

"With a washing machine, before the world went to shit. And besides that, _they_ know you can handle yourself and someone else," Andrea rolled her eyes, "And apparently, I'm going to stick a gun in my mouth, therefore, I can't be trusted with one."

Piper's eyes widened. Andrea didn't seem like the suicidal type. But, then again, she didn't know the blonde from a hole in the wall, "It's a long story," Andrea shook her head, "The point is, is that Dale and I have two very different opinions about what I'm capable of. And I just think he's wrong."

"What is it you think you're capable of?"

"I know I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself - that's for sure," Andrea said a bit coldly.

Piper had the urge to dig deeper, but she thought better of it; Andrea was obviously finished with the conversation.

The blonde sighed deeply, "I can't imagine what it's like knowing someone like Shane for that many years," Piper tilted her head and Andrea continued, "No offense, but your friend's a bit hard to put up with."

Piper laughed, "He rubs a lot of people the wrong way, it's kind of the way he was made. He's definitely a button pusher, whether he means to or not," Piper raised an eyebrow, "But it seems he pushes yours a bit."

Andrea rolled her eyes, "From what I've seen, he's made a habit out of pushing mine, and Dale's, and well, pretty much everyone's buttons. "

Piper nodded and squinted her eyes at the bright sun. It was late afternoon - the hottest time of day it seemed. The woman gathered her long hair, which she had worn down for the majority of the day, and tied it up in a messy bun, "It's kind of his thing. You get used to it. And if you don't, he won't stop, you just have to suck it up," She turned to Andrea who seemed to be examining her, "What? Is there something on my face?"

"I don't mean to pry you, but I think it's only fair - doesn't Shane have that same tattoo? He's not necessarily the most modest person here, but I think you already knew that," Andrea laughed lightly.

It took Piper a moment to realize what Andrea was talking about, "Oh, this," she ran her index finger behind her right ear, "Yeah, it's the same."

"Any particular meaning to it?"

Piper bit her lip - _yes,_ "We got them as a sort of remembrance thing," she kept her eyes focused on the roof of the Winnebago - the situation was complicated; on one hand, Andrea was a perfect stranger, and the story that explained everything was not one to tell a stranger. However, on the other, there was something about Andrea that made Piper feel comfortable around her. _What the Hell,_ "I had a sister, Genevieve" Piper looked at the blonde, "She was so much younger than me - we might as well have been from two different worlds, you know?" Piper sighed, "She pretty much followed me everywhere, though. And Shane - we were convinced that she had the biggest crush on him. We thought it was cute," Piper smiled to herself, "We nicknamed her little bird; she kind of had that way about her," the woman swallowed, "She uh, passed away - car accident when she was six."

Andrea placed a comforting hand on Piper's back, "I'm sorry. I know what it feels like to lose someone."

"I guess you would, especially now, we've all lost people."

Andrea took a hesitant breath, "I recently lost my sister, Amy I was older than her too I was always too busy or too selfish to spend some time with a kid," Andrea looked off into the distance, "Now I wish I'd had more time."

It was Piper's turn to lend some comforting words, "Regardless, I'm sure she thought the world of you, Andrea."

Andrea nodded slowly before her attention turned to something in the distance. Her eyes widened, "Walker! Walker!" she shouted, alerting the group members.

Piper shot up from the chair and looked out into the field. Sure enough, there was a walker emerging from the woods and heading for the camp.

"Just the one?" Rick asked, looking up at Andrea.

Piper nodded, "Seems to be."

Andrea grabbed her binoculars and surveyed the situation, "I bet I can nail him from here," she said reaching for the rifle.

"No, no Andrea!" Rick commanded, "Put the gun DOWN."

"Andrea, listen to Rick," Piper told the blonde.

"You best let us handle this," Shane called up to Andrea who was readying herself to fire .

"Shane, hold up! Hershel wants to deal with walkers," Rick told the other man.

"What for, man? We got it covered," Shane replied continuing on toward the lone walker.

Piper watched intently as Rick, Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog sprinted over to the approaching walker. Andrea wanted to handle things, however. She readied the rifle again, looking through its scope at the walker. Piper only realized what Andrea was doing when she lay down on the roof of the camper.

"Andrea, don't you do it," Piper warned.

"I've got this," Andrea replied looking through the scope once more.

Piper looked from Andrea to the scene in the field. All four men had paused where they were. Piper was surprised that they made no move to kill the walker and, more surprisingly, the walker didn't seem too interested in them. From what she could see, it looked as though they were talking to it.

"Andrea, I don't thi-" Piper was interrupted by a gunshot.

Whatever or whoever Rick and the others were talking to went down. Everyone who had heard the shot from inside the house quickly made their way outside. And then there was shouting coming from the field.

"I - I. You shot Daryl!" Piper nearly jumped from the roof of the Winnebago and Andrea followed. The two women and Dale raced toward the scene. When they got there, Daryl was unconscious, but alive. It looked like the bullet only grazed him and he would be alright. Andrea didn't seem to notice that.

"Andrea," Piper grabbed Andrea's hands, "Andrea, the bullet only grazed him. He's alive."

"Look at him," Glenn pointed to Daryl as they walked toward the farm-house, "What the Hell happened? He's wearing ears!"

"Let's keep that to ourselves," Rick pulled the necklace off of Daryl and concealed in his shirt.

"Guys," T-Dog's voice came from behind the rest of the group, "Isn't this Sophia's doll?"

Piper didn't know that doll from a whole in the wall, but, by the look on everyone else's faces, it was in fact Sophia's.

* * *

The day's events took a lot out of everyone at the farm. Andrea naturally felt awful about the "incident" and after consoling her for half an hour or so, both Piper and Andrea were relieved to hear that Daryl would be alright. Daryl didn't know the whereabouts of Nelly, which, of course pissed off the host. The pissed off host along with lack of good conversation made for a, to say the least, awkward dinner. And when it was finally over, Piper was happy to be back in her tent with Shane.

"What's on your mind?" Piper propped her head on her right hand and absent-mindedly began running her fingers through her golden brown hair.

"Rick thinks we should keep looking for Sophia," Shane ran his hand over the top of his head.

"And you don't?"

"You and I both know how it is," Shane exhaled, "Seventy-two hours - and that's without the walkers."

Piper pursed her lips - he had a point; seventy-two hours and if the trail was cold, it became damn near impossible to follow, "But that doesn't mean we can't keep trying. We're keeping hope alive, Shane."

"False hope."

"Maybe that's what we need now. We need something to keep us going, keep us looking. For Carol's sake."

"Daryl nearly died today, Piper," Shane pointed out, "And you're tellin' me the risk is with the effort? What if you'd been with him? What if it'd 'ave been you that got hurt," there was a slight crack in the man's voice.

Piper put a comforting hand on Shane's shoulder, "Impossible - Leroy isn't afraid of snakes. If anything, I would have been a help, not a hindrance," she joked, although, Shane didn't look very impressed, "Either way, nobody died today and Daryl brought back the first real piece of evidence we've had."

The lack of a reply lead Piper to believe that Shane was done talking - at least about the search for Sophia. He seemed sour about the whole thing; Shane was no doubt an alpha male. Under any other circumstance Piper would let Shane parade around like he did best, but it was clear who was made to be in charge. It wasn't Shane; it was Rick, who, in high school was never the dominant of the two. He was dominant, but had always been more reserved than Shane and, frankly, quieter. There was a mutual respect between the alpha males, however; throughout their friendship, they acted as equals, as partners.

Their current circumstances changed everything, though; the group needed one person and one person only to look to for guidance. If their ideas differed so much, their strong personalities couldn't possibly work together to find some sort of middle ground. Piper just hoped the friction that the heavy decisions caused wouldn't be enough to ruin the friendship.


	10. Questions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **I promise you guys I'll get better with updating. Really wanted to get this out because of the premiere! Can't wait to see where that goes and see how I'll tie Piper and Shane into that.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Questions_**

Although it was morning, there was a certain buzz around camp - the day of Shane's promised gun training session had arrived. Those who were clueless with a weapon were excited to learn and the veterans were excited to teach. Before gun training however, there was still a lot to be done. Piper had just finished up at the barn when Shane asked her to inventory the weapons.

Just as she was getting started, Piper heard footsteps approaching her. Then, a hand was on her shoulder, "Piper would you mind taking a second?" It was Dale. She turned around and faced the man, "I'd like to talk to you about something."

Piper nodded, "What can I do for you, Dale?"

"Exactly how well do you know Shane?"

Piper raised an eyebrow, "Is this a serious question?"

Dale nodded slowly, eyes wide, "Very serious."

Piper scratched the back of her head, "I know the ins and outs of Shane Walsh like I know the back of my hand," she held her hand up for good measure.

Dale put his hands up sensing the irritation in Piper's voice, "I don't mean to upset you, but I spoke to Hershel today and there's just some things that don't add up about that night at the high school."

"Mind elaborating?" Piper crossed her arms.

"Well, he said Rick gave Otis his gun - if Otis "sacrificed" himself, how is it that Shane returned with the gun? Did he happen to grab it while Otis was being eaten alive - I imagine that's what happened," Dale's voice grew louder with every word, "Why is he being so vague about everything?"

Piper chewed on her lip, "I'm not sure how any of this is your concern," she tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, "And pardon me, but, if you've got something with Shane, shouldn't you be taking it up with him?"

Dale looked at the ground then back up at Piper, "Don't think I don't plan on confronting him about it. It concerns me and everyone here if he's a dangerous man. And by the looks of it, he is."

Piper squinted her eyes, "So just because you've got this wild theory that he "sacrificed" Otis, Shane's automatically some killer? Come on, you're not judge and jury, Dale."

"That isn't all of it," Dale stole a quick glance at Shane.

Piper motioned for the man to continue.

"Before you came to us, we had a camp at a quarry near Atlanta. The day before we left, we did a quick patrol," Dale frowned slightly, "I wasn't sure what I saw at first, but I realized I'd stumbled upon Shane pointing his weapon at Rick," he paused for a moment, "Your friend was going to shoot Rick. "

Piper rolled her eyes, "Why would Shane want to shoot his best friend," he held her hand up, "You know what, don't answer that. I don't have time for this and I do not want to hear it. Please Dale, enough."

Before Dale could say anything else, Piper spun around and focused herself on the guns. She was finished listening to Dale and his accusations and, although he may have been right on one of them, Piper didn't want to believe the other. It sounded completely absurd; Shane pulling a gun on Rick? It was a pretty serious accusation and was pretty hard for Piper to believe. Daryl's chupacabra story was more believable than what she'd heard. Piper sighed when she heard Dale walk away - maybe he liked a little drama. He was just stiring the pot, that had to be it.

* * *

Shots rang out in the almost empty field and bottles smashed as bullets collided with them. Shane, Rick, T-Dog, and Piper kept a careful eye on their students, offering tips when needed, correcting stances, and giving words of encouragement. Piper smiled wide as Patricia hit her first bottle.

"Awesome job!" Piper placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I told you you'd hit it when you fixed your grip on that pistol."

Patricia smiled at the brunette as Rick sauntered over to the women, he gave Piper a slight nod, "Mind holding up for a minute?" he addressed Patricia, then gestured for Piper to follow him, "Let's all three take a walk," he jerked his head toward Shane.

Piper nodded and smiled once more at Patricia, "I'll be back."

Rick beckoned for Shane to follow him and the trio walked slowly up the line of shooters scanning for anything that might need correcting. The fourth instructor, T-Dog seemed to have his hands full with Jimmy, who had an interesting firing method. Piper laughed lightly at the teenager before T-Dog shook his head, "Don't give me that gangster shit."

"So how's it being a teacher again?" Piper stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans and nudged Shane with her elbow. She knew how much Shane enjoyed teaching. He'd spend hours telling her about his students, how much they'd progressed throughout the weeks, how proud he was of them and himself for getting the job done.

The man chuffed lightly, "Feels good. Forgot how much I liked doing this."

Piper nodded slightly as they reached the end of the line, Piper turned her attention to the last shooter; Andrea who appeared to be having trouble with her designated mark

"Don't be discouraged, you'll hit the target eventually," Shane reassured the blonde.

She turned to him a slight smirk on her face, "Who says I didn't hit my target?"

Piper's brow furrowed as Shane looked into his binoculars. It appeared, upon closer inspection, the blonde was having no trouble hitting her chosen target. The men shared a look and Piper grabbed the binoculars from Shane's hands, looking into the distance. The brunette chuffed lightly when she saw the "No Trespassing" sign that, thanks to Andrea, had three bullet-sized holes in the center of the "O"

"Try this one," Shane suggested handing a Beretta to Andrea, "S'heavier, got better balance, twice the rounds."

Piper crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as Andrea readied herself to fire. Seconds later the can perched on top of the fence line flew off.

"Say she's got the hang of it," Shane turned to Rick who chuckled.

"I'd say she's ready for the advanced class," he replied, then took a few steps toward Andrea, "Might be worth your while after the rest of us head back to camp."

"Sure, why not," Andrea nodded, smiling.

"Piper?"

Piper looked up at Shane, "Yeuh?"

"Why don't you take her and show 'er how it's done in a 'lil bit," Shane winked at his friend.

Piper smiled softly, "I don't think I need to show this one anything," Piper reached up and put a hand on Andrea's shoulder, "But yeah, I'll do it. It should be fun!" she gave the blonde a squeeze on the shoulder before leaving the two alone. She couldn't help but overhear, however, the tail end of Andrea and Shane's conversation.

_"So you decided not to leave us. Something change your mind?"_

Piper stole a glance behind her shoulder to find Shane looking right at her. He looked down at his feet quickly and Piper frowned slightly, turning back around. Andrea's words were a bit troubling; Her words only added questions to the list she had from her conversation with Dale.

* * *

Piper pursed her lip as Andrea aimed and fired at her moving target Shane set up for the two of them. The brunette held up her hand and Andrea held her gun down at her side. Piper ambled over to the still-swinging log and stopped it, inspecting it closely. Her brow furrowed and she shook her head slowly.

"Not yet," she gave a small sympathetic smile as Andrea let out a groan. Piper sighed and walked over to the blonde, "Alright, don't think too much okay?" Andrea tilted her head a bit confused and Piper continued, "Basically, it all comes down to muscle memory. You've got to be quick, you've got to know what you're doing because An, a walker will not stop and wait for you to hit it, you got me? Unless there's some barrier in between you and them, you cannot take your sweet ass time firing. It's got to be quick and it's got to be accurate," Piper walked over to the log and gave it a good push, then stepped backwards, grabbing her Beretta from its holster at her side. She took a quick second to line it up before taking two shots. Chunks of wood flew off from the log and Piper looked back at Andrea. She holstered her weapon and snapped her fingers, "I'm not saying this because I love to hear myself talk. Knowing how to fire your weapon and do it fast will save your life."

Andrea nodded her head taking a deep breath. Again Piper pushed the log. The blonde took a little more time than Piper liked to ready herself, "You're dead." Andrea hit her target, but looked surprised, "The walker's got you. You're dead. You took too long to fire and unless you had some Plan B, you're gone."

"Can we take a break?" Andrea asked, holding her weapon at her side.

Piper glanced at her watch before nodding slightly, " Well, you hit it, so five minutes, but then I want you to hit that sucker again before I have to head back to help Shane out with a lead on Sophia."

Andrea nodded her head before holstering her weapon and grabbing her water bottle. When she was finished, she walked over to Piper who was sitting underneath the large oak that provided them shade for practice, "So how'd you learn to shoot?" she leaned up against the tree looking down at Piper.

Piper looked up at the other woman, "Shane actually did some of the teaching first. Thought that I should know how to "protect myself." But I got my official training when I decided that I wanted to be a cop. You can imagine that with my prior knowledge, I was the star pupil," she chuckled.

"Sounds like Shane really cares for you."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Piper looked at the ground, then back up at Andrea again, "Mind if I ask you something?"

Andrea shrugged, "Go for it."

"Well, today with everyone at training when you were talking with Shane you said something. Something about him leaving, but then he decided not to? What was that about exactly?"

Andrea tilted her head, "He was going to leave. I overheard him talking to Lori - I guess she's the reason why - but now he's staying. Piper, he didn't tell me the details and, honestly, I didn't care to ask."

The brunette's brow furrowed and she stood up, "Wait. Thing with Lori? What?" her eyes widened, it was easy to figure out, "They...no. While Rick was?"

"Ye-uh. And they weren't very good at hiding it," Andrea chuffed but then her eyes softened on Piper, "He didn't tell you, did he?"

Piper was silent. The news had left Piper hurt. She wasn't sure if she wanted to throw up or cry or both. Shane and Lori? Did Rick know? Why didn't Shane tell her?

"You okay?"

Piper snapped out of the daze she had apparently been in, "Yeah. Do you mind if we quit with that," she half-smiled, "We can continue with this tomorrow if you'd like."

Andrea looked disappointed, but nodded, "Sounds like a plan," she looked sympathetically at Piper and then placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sorry you had to find out from me."

"Me too Andrea, me too."


	11. Answers?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **This new season. I**_ can't._**

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Answers?_**

Arriving back at the camp, Piper nodded a goodbye to Andrea, who, seemed a bit deflated, having only hit her target once. Piper felt bad for cutting their session short, but she couldn't focus. And it wasn't fair to Andrea to continue a lesson she didn't have her heart into. So a rain check it was.

"Ready to go?" Piper heard Shane's voice behind her.

The woman, who had been on her way to visit Leroy, whipped around and smiled at her friend, "Yeah, what took you so long?" she teased, nudging her shoulder against Shane's.

The man snorted lightly, then gestured over toward the Hyundai, "Let's go, the lead's on a housin' development just a few miles from here."

It was a couple mile's trip from Hershel's farm to the housing development. And a development it was; about half of the houses were completed, but most were either in their final stages or not even started at all. The pair did a quick check from inside the car - there were no walkers from that they could see. Shane nodded an "ok" and both he and Piper opened their doors. Unholstering her Beretta, Piper looked at Shane, then spoke in a hushed voice as if not to attract anything, "Which one first?"

Shane scanned the row of houses, ignoring the incomplete ones. And, after a few moments, he jerked his head toward one of the finished properties toward the end of the street. Piper nodded and followed Shane toward the home, both of them keeping an eye out for walkers. When they reached the front door, the two stood for a moment, Shane on the left of the door, Piper opposite to him. Mentally, Piper counted to three before grabbing the door knob and pushing open the oak door. Gun raised, Shane led the way into the house and, mimicking Shane, Piper quickly followed.

The newly raised home, that looked perfectly normal from the outside, had been left in complete shambles inside. Piper's eyes scanned around the foyer as Shane was beginning to make his way into the kitchen. What caught Piper's attention however, was a wall that sealed off most of the house. Tilting her head, she backhanded Shane in the arm, then pulled up ahead of him, inspecting the wall "They walled off this hallway?" the brunette ran her hand along the out-of-place wall and looked at Shane.

Shane licked his bottom lip and jerked his head toward a hole that had been made in the wall, "Alright, cover my backside," the man crouched down and stepped through the hole, to the other side of the wall. He was out of sight for a second or two before poking his head back through the hole, "C'mon," he motioned for Piper to come through.

Stepping backwards into the hole, so not to get caught from behind by anything that was lurking in the house, Piper felt Shane's hands on her, guiding her through. Once on the other side, Piper took a moment to survey her surroundings; family photos hung crooked on the walls, the carpet lay crumpled up in the corner of the hallway. The woman frowned at the sight as they ventured down the hallway. Slowly, the pair searched the bedrooms - they looked like they had been ransacked, but there was no sign of anyone actually living in there. At least not for a good long while. Both Shane and Piper were discouraged by the pile of nothing they had found until Piper realized they hadn't checked the basement.

Piper insisted on taking the lead, and slowly, she descended down the stairs, gun pointed in front of her. Getting closer to the landing, the brunette pressed her lips together anticipating whatever was at the bottom of the staircase. She held her hand up, not wanting to get clogged in case they had to get out fast, and Shane stopped half-way down. Peaking into the basement-garage area, Piper's eyes widened at the sight. She didn't have time to really look at the burned bodies laying on the cement floor. Instead, she focused on the three, four, five, six and counting walkers that were coming in through the garage door that had been left open. Each walker let out an individual snarl and Piper realized that she'd been seen. Turning fast, and beginning back up the stairs, Piper motioned for Shane to get himself moving.

"Gogogogo," Piper spoke urgently and glanced behind her. The first of the walkers was beginning to make its way upstairs. Shane noticed, and reached his hand out to Piper, who grabbed it. The man skipped about five steps, practically dragging Piper up with him. When the duo reached the top, Piper slammed the door shut and locked it. Her eyes searched frantically around the hallway to find something to put in front of the door that was sure to bust open with only the flimsy lock. _Nothing._

"Piper, forget it. She's not here, and we gotta' go!" Shane barked, grabbing Piper by the forearm, leading her back out of the dead lead of a house.

* * *

The ride back from the housing development was silent as Piper debated bringing up the conversations she'd had with Dale and Andrea. It wasn't like they had told her Shane had an extra granola bar when he wasn't supposed to. What they told her was serious and she needed to get to the bottom of it. She hated not knowing things for sure and the urge for her to question the man about the accusations was getting stronger.

Piper licked her bottom lip before inhaling, "I've heard some funny things today," the brunette pressed her head against the window but kept her eyes on Shane.

"Yeah? What's that?" Shane raised an eyebrow and looked from the road to Piper.

Piper pursed her lips, "Where do I begin? Uh, there's Dale; I'm pretty sure he's got some wacky notion that you're gonna kill us all."

Piper watched as Shane tightened his grip on the wheel, "Can't do shit without the old man pissin' himself," Shane shook his head slowly, "Always gotta be in everyone else's business."

Piper reached a hand up to the back of her neck, "I'm sure he's got the best of intentions. Annoying as it may seem," the woman bit her lip hesitantly, "But anyways, he told me something weird. Like, really weird."

"Go on."

"He said," Piper laughed awkwardly, "He said you pointed a gun at Rick."

It was obvious, by the sudden change in his demeanor, that what Piper had said annoyed Shane - she'd been afraid of that. It was always a dicey situation - backing a hothead into a corner. Their defense wasn't the nicest. Their offense was even worse. The man's brow furrowed ever so slightly – his tell - and he cleared his throat keeping his eyes glued to the road ahead, "Must be seein' things then."

_No. Dale wasn't seeing things._

"So you didn't point your weapon at Rick?" Piper spoke slowly.

Shane slammed his foot on the brake causing the woman to lurch forward; he looked at Piper and ran his tongue over his lips before speaking in a harsh voice, "You tellin' me you believe this bullshit?" he chuffed angrily.

"Fight with Shane" was not on Piper's to-do list and of course, with her hot-head of a friend, the argument was getting heated. She wasn't even finished asking questions – there was still the matter of Shane wanting to leave. Piper inhaled and exhaled slowly and grabbed the door handle, "You know what? I think I need some space," Piper pushed open the door and exited the Hyundai. There were certain situations with the two friends, where Shane would start to get pretty aggravated and , in each one, Piper's best bet was to walk away to let Shane cool off. She had no interest in conflict with her friend, walking away was the best choice.

Piper had been walking for a good ten minutes before she heard the engine behind her. The brunette looked over her shoulder; sure enough, there was Shane behind the wheel of the Hyundai. Piper didn't bother to stop walking, though. It was more so that, thinking about it some more, she wasn't quite ready to have the conversation with Shane. Did she really want the affirmation that, yes, Shane had pointed his weapon at Rick? Did she really want to hear – from the horse's mouth – that Shane and Lori had slept together – and more than once? She was hurt, but she could handle hearing rumors from Andrea and Dale, but what about from Shane? Could she really handle the affirmation? Stuffing her hands in her jean pockets, Piper continued on until she heard a door slam and the gruff voice that belonged to Shane call out her name.

"Pipe – come on. Would ya' just stop," he spoke.

Piper sighed deeply before stopping in the middle of the road and turning on her heel. Shane had caught up to her and was only a few feet away, "Yeah, I can," she mumbled.

Shane ran a hand over the top of his head, "I've only been tryin' ta do what's best here. Right from the start."

Piper crossed her arms, frowning slightly – she didn't want to know anything, but she _had_ to know, "You've never not been straight with me. Please, please don't start now."

Shane held his head low, looking at the ground for a moment, then back at Piper, "Don't think I'm not happy about Rick wakin' up," his voice shook a little, "But not a day after he was back from Atlanta, he left. He left our camp – him, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl - and people died," Shane's eyes narrowed, "It was his call to chase some douchebag chained to a roof. That blood's on him," Shane pointed off nowhere in particular, "That blood's on him."

Piper swallowed hard, "So you were pissed," she tilted her head, eyeing Shane, "You've got enough testosterone for an entire football team's locker room – I'd imagine, before Rick came back, you called the shots," Piper paused, and when Shane gave a short nod, she continued, "Rick was made leader and he screwed up not even twenty-four hours on the job," Piper took a step toward Shane and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "The Otis thing – both of you weren't gonna make it and you had to get back to Carl, I could understand that with a total stranger, but for this," the brunette shook her head, "I don't understand it, but when I saw you with Rick when Carl had been shot – I guess I'm having a hard time believing it."

"That man is my brother – I'd die for him same as I would for you. But he's not cut out for this. Those people depended on me to keep them safe and I did. Rick can't do it, Piper."

Piper shook her head, "But you have to accept the fact that the decisions aren't yours to make anymore. Hell, you should be relieved!" Piper smiled softly, "Please Shane, for me, just please let Rick do his job. At least on like, a thirty-day trial period."

Shane couldn't help but chuckle, then he said seriously, "You know I feel like shit for raising my gun at Rick. You gotta know that –"

Piper held her hand up, "I do, alright, I do."

She didn't understand the whole thing, but it was clear that maybe, he didn't either.

Piper had contemplated mentioning the whole Lori/leaving thing, but the conversation had left her exhausted, and besides that, she didn't want to bombard her friend with a million and one questions all at the same time. She'd ask him about it later or maybe he'd figure out that she knew and he'd tell her. Or maybe, he'd just tell her. Piper hoped her friend would chose to tell her - she didn't want to be pulling teeth again.


	12. Hershel's Secret

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **I'm considering doing some drabbles for this story. I have a few in mind, but if you'd like to read something, shoot me a PM.

**Description:** _Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive._

**_Hershel's Secret_**

Piper couldn't help but love Carol - she made some fantastic scrambled eggs and dealt them out with a smile every single time. It was another beautiful day at Hershel's farm and things were good. It was Carl's second day back on his feet and Piper watched the twelve year old practically inhale his breakfast. The group was situated around the fire, and everyone was happily munching away in the comfortable silence. Of course, Piper should have known, that was when things turned upside down.

"Hey guys," Piper looked up from her eggs and at Glenn who looked like he had some important news, "So, there's walkers in the barn."

Everyone was silent before there was the clunking of silverware, "You gotta' be f-," Shane began, but stopped when Rick growled his name, standing up.

The leader, as calmly as possible, place his half-finished breakfast down on the camping chair he had been seated out and turned toward the barn, the others, all except Shane, waiting for him to make a move. The other man, however, was too impatient and began stomping toward the barn. Rick, realizing his friend was moving toward the barn - and fast - quickly jogged up behind him, closing the gap. The others soon followed, making their way toward the building at various paces.

The smell over by the old building became very apparent and Piper realized why exactly Hershel made a point to deter "outsiders" from going near it. It was the familiar smell that always lingered in the air, but became stronger whenever a walker was present. However, in the case of Hershel's barn, the group was unsure how many walkers were present. There was a chorus of moans as Daryl and Shane began to go at it with each other. Piper hadn't been paying much attention, as she was eyeing the barn, checking to see if it was secure, but she was brought back when Shane raised his voice at the other man.

"...If she was alive out there and saw you comin' - all miffed out with your buck knife, geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction!" Shane took a step closer to Daryl.

Piper bit on her lower lip as Daryl immediately bucked himself up, launching into attack mode. She silently begged him not to start in with Shane, but it was clear that he was not intimidated by the bigger man, "Back off!" he shouted.

That was enough for Rick. The mediator stepped in between the two men in attempt to diffuse the situation, but both of them, hotheads, were shouting at one another. Piper kept quiet - unless on the job, she wasn't one to get in the middle of brawls. Finally, it was Rick who backed Daryl away and s Lori who grabbed Shane to prevent him from tossing the first punch, although, both men could have easily started throwing punches. Shane immediately tensed up at Lori's touch and he looked at the brunette, disdain in his eyes, "Keep your hands off me," he spoke coldly toward the woman. The comment, however, went selectively unnoticed by the group.

"Now let me talk to Hershel," Rick kept his voice as calm as possible, "Let me figure it out."

"What are you gonna figure out?" Shane questioned, his irritation obvious.

"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it," Rick explained.

Piper shook her head. No. That was just ridiculous. What was there to figure out? What was Rick going to do? Piper knew as well as anybody that Hershel was very set in his ways. He had a specific way that things were supposed to be run around the farm - what would be so different about the walkers in his barn? If they were there by his doing, by his idea, they were staying there. No ifs ands or buts about it.

"Rick," she waved a bit, trying to get his attention. He turned toward her, "Rick, c'mon. I don't think that's gonna happen."

"Hershel sees those things in there as people," Dale revealed, "Sick people. His wife, his stepson."

Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing. All the time she had been on the farm, there was a dirty little secret just waiting to be uncovered. Did Maggie know? Beth? They had to have known. She felt lied to and that was not a good feeling at all. Of course, there were more pressing matters at hand than how Piper felt. And the matter, of course, was how to get rid of the dozen plus walkers in the barn. With Hershel's permission. Piper felt bad - Rick had some task ahead of him.

* * *

Leaning against the wooden doorframe to the small supply room in the barn, Piper sighed deeply. It seemed as though Hershel had been prepared for the apocalypse; the entire right side of the room had been filled almost to the ceiling with bags of shavings. Although, that was when Piper had originally arrived at the farm. In the time that she'd been there, even with careful rationing, most of the bags were gone.

Entering the room, Piper grabbed for one of the last (maybe half dozen?) bags and tossed it into the wheel barrow that was waiting just outside the door. Unhooking the pitchfork from the wall, she did the same, nearly hitting Shane, who had appeared out of nowhere. It was a couple of seconds later that Piper actually noticed the man standing by the wheel barrow, and, upon exiting the supply room, she nodded a "hello". The air around them was heavier than normal - mostly due to their conversation the previous day.

Pushing the wheel barrow toward Leroy's stall, Piper heard Shane's heavy footsteps behind her. Finally, he spoke, "Gotta talk to ya 'bout somethin'."

"Nuh'really," Shane shook his head, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. It was stupid really - really fucking stupid. He was a man, he knew how to handle his problems on his own. But there was something about Piper. Just the fact that she was there, alive, made him want to tell her everything. He wanted to lean on her because he _really _needed someone to lean on. It wasn't that he was "soft" - Shane Walsh had _never _been soft. He had never been some wuss who bitched about his problems. No, that wasn't how he was, not usually. However, there were "special" circumstances; if ever there was a problem he couldn't fix or an issue he couldn't get over, he would lay down his pride and it was Piper, and only Piper, who he would turn to.

The brunette tilted her head waiting for Shane to explain, but the man was lost in thought, "Shane?"

"Lori's havin' a baby," he spat out, both his expression and tone monotonous. Both of the brunette's eyebrows raised - Lori having a baby? In the world they lived in? Did Rick know? How were they going to take care of it? Questions raced through Piper's head and she didn't offer any words, so Shane went on, "How do I say this?" he chewed on his lip, " 'Fore Rick got back -"

Piper's stomach dropped and she gripped the pitchfork tighter - it wasn't hard to put together, no, not after what Andrea had told her the previous day, it was pretty obvious where Shane was going, "You're saying," Piper paused, poking at the stall floor with the pitchfork, "You're trying to tell me that...this baby is yours?"

"I'm sayin' it don't make sense to be Rick's. Lori an' I, we-"

Piper held up her hand, "Okay, yeah, I know, Shane," the man furrowed his brow, "I didn't figure it out or anything, no, if Andrea hadn't told me, I still wouldn't know," the woman cleared her throat, "But, you know, you made a mess of things, Shane. And not just you."

"Don't ya think I see that?" Shane shifted his weight from one foot to the other," I know wha' I did. She knows wha' she did. Didn't say I was proud of it - I'm not."

Piper pressed her lips together considering bringing up the_ rest_ of what Andrea told her. Why not? It was as good as it was gonna get. Plus, Shane had already lead into it with talking about Lori. What did she have to lose, really?, "And that's why you wanted to bail?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the man, "So why'd you end up sticking around?"

Shane was a bit taken aback. He should have known, though. If Andrea let slip about him and Lori, she had to have opened her mouth about him wanting to leave earlier. Of course, that had changed. Before there wasn't much of a reason to stick around. But that changed the moment he saw Piper. If she was at the farm, despite Hershel's rules, that was where he wanted to be. He knew Piper wouldn't want to leave the group - what reason would there to be? Besides, the farm was the best choice for Leroy. And, of course, there was no way in Hell he was leaving her. No, not after everything they'd been through before the world turned upside down, he wasn't going to leave her after. He needed to stay and watch over her, protect her like he always had, "'Cause Hershel and me are the best a' friends," he replied, sourly - he didn't want to get into the sappy shit.

Piper leaned the pitchfork against the wall, "Really?" she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "That's all you're gonna give me? I'm not allowed to have a real reason?"

Shane snorted, "I ever tell you you're pushy?"

"All the time," Piper retorted, a smirk coming to her face.

"If you think Lori's got somethin' to do with it, you're wrong, Piper," Shane looked his friend in the eye, "S'got nothin' to do with her. Or the baby - I just found out about that."

"So what's it got to do with?" Piper urged Shane to continue.

"You won't go all sappy and shit on me?" Shane asked.

Piper nodded, "Sure, yeah, I won't."

"Couldn't leave you," he shrugged, his face turning a slight shade of red - pink, really, "Guess it's just me watchin' out for you like always."

Piper mockingly put a hand over her heart, "Touched," she couldn't help but laugh a bit at Shane's embarrassment. He had never been one for cheesy moments and an admission like that definitely counted as cheesy, "But you do know I was a cop, Shane," her expression turned serious, "I'm not three years old anymore."

"But I been doin' it since that long. Doesn't make sense to stop. 'Specially now," he told her.

Piper accepted her friends answer. Whether is was annoying or appreciated, Shane had always been protective. It was the kind of person he was and it was one thing that hadn't changed because the world ended. Piper was happy that it hadn't, for that only meant someone who would watch her back no matter what, through better or worse. It seemed as though, though things may have changed between Shane and Rick, Shane and Piper were the same as ever. She wasn't sure why that was, but it was like the pair had picked up where they left off. And although the tension between the two males wasn't an easy thing for Piper to deal with, she was grateful for her continued, strong friendship with Shane.


	13. Reminisce, React, Regret, Reflect

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything associated with _The Walking Dead _that includes its characters, titles, yada yada. You get the drift?

**Author's Note: **I am editing a couple of chapters; Chapter 6 as well as Chapter 9. Just minor things that I thought of after writing them. Please remember to review if you liked this chapter! :)

**Description: **_Piper Bell's leaned on one, equine, companion since the outbreak, a Quarter Horse named Leroy - depending on him to keep her safe and doing the same in return. However, in a turn of events, she's reunited with someone she believed to be dead - her best friend, Shane Walsh. And now, with him, Rick Grimes, and the rest of the group, she's just trying to survive.__  
_

_**Reminisce, React, Regret, Reflect **_

One of the far fields at the Greene farm had proven excellent for riding. It was located past the cattle field, and, Piper estimated that it was the same length and width as the outdoor ring at the barn Leroy had been boarded at. The grass wasn't so high that it was hard to navigate and from what Piper could tell, the field didn't have any dangerous holes that could cause some serious damage for a horse. It was the perfect place to ride, seeing that the fenced-in fields belonged to the cattle. The only down side to the field was the fact that it wasn't the closest on to the house. Being on horseback, though, did provide for a quick getaway if ever Piper needed one. Once the brunette was settled in the saddle, she gave a squeeze, urging Leroy to walk on. The chestnut moved forward and Piper sighed deeply. The morning had proven to be a busy one; taking care of the horses, the barn situation, not to mention a continued gun training session with Andrea, Piper was glad she finally had a moment to relax. After all, there was nothing like being on the back of a horse.

In her twenty-plus years in the saddle, Piper had tried all different kinds of disciplines. She started at the age of ten with plain old English riding - flat work as well as over fences. She enjoyed the feeling of flying over jumps, eventually reaching a height of 3'6 feet, competing in local shows as well. Piper loved the feeling of pride and accomplishment of showing, but her favorite part of being at the barn in King's County was summer camp. Gymkhana Camp was Piper's favorite part about the summer. The "Pony Club girls" as she and her barn pals became known as would spend two fun weeks (five days a week) competing against each other on horseback, each day different than the next. At sixteen Piper became fascinated with dressage. Everything about it enthralled the teenager; the way the horses moved, the hard work, dedication, and partnership between horse and rider. It was with a heavy heart that she left her childhood barn and signed up for lessons as a prestigious dressage barn. Partnered with a young Trakehner named Wyatt, the pair worked hard and well together. At the end of the year, the horses and riders were sent to perform in a dressage test, and, after scoring a "Good", Piper knew that she could leave the dressage world satisfied. The teen did just that when she received the biggest surprise of her life; a chestnut Quarter Horse colt. A graduation present from her parents, Piper couldn't wait to train him. Throughout the years, the team competed in hunter classes, endurance rides, and, just for shits and giggles, a Gymkhana or two. And, as the rest as Piper would tell it, was history.

"Trot," not a second after the word left Piper's mouth, Leroy broke into the easy- to- sit- to trot he was known for. It made him a favorite for riding lessons at the stable Piper boarded him at in New York. It was a fair trade for a less expensive boarding fee. After all, Piper couldn't make it up to see her favorite four-legged friend everyday and he needed the work. His comfortable trot made him perfect for beginners and his even canter was great for first timers. There was no doubt that Piper had a gem of a horse. She was grateful for everyday spent with him, "Good boy," she cooed as the gelding continued along around the field.

It wasn't until the pair finished her ride that Piper heard the gunshots. Several in a row, a pause, and then one more. Horse and rider were in the barn when it happened and the chestnut who had been quietly standing suddenly became alert, his ears pricked forward weary of the possible danger. Piper whipped her head around toward the noise, dropping the curry she was using on her horse's coat. She held her index finger up, "Stay there," she said before rushing out of the barn. Once in the light of day, Piper heard more gunshots. The woman squinted her eyes and scanned the property looking for the source of the commotion. She found it when she saw walkers pouring out of the large barn the group had inspected that morning. There was a line-up of shooters; Shane, Andrea, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl in the front, and Rick toward the back. Heart beginning to race, Piper reached for her piece in its holster and began sprinting toward the scene.

By the time she reached the barn, all of the walkers had been killed. The woman turned to another late-comer; Dale, her mouth partly opened. He looked back at her, disbelief in his eyes. Then, a short snarl erupted from inside the barn. Piper's attention went back to the building as a small figure emerged. _Short blonde hair. Blue shirt. _The description she had been given of Sophia matched to that of the little girl that was slowly making her way toward the group. Piper swallowed hard as she heard Carol begin to sob. She side glanced at the woman who had to be held back by Daryl. Piper's heart broke. Everyone seemed to be frozen where they were until Rick finally stepped forward. Piper held her breath as he raised his gun toward the girl's head and, with one shot, she fell to the ground. She was gone.

Piper surveyed the gut-wrenching scene. She hadn't noticed Hershel, whole knelt brokenly on the ground, Maggie by his side, but when she saw him, the lump in her throat got bigger. It was like time had suddenly stopped and nobody knew what to do next. Nobody knew what to say or where to look. Nobody wanted to move. Carol made the first move, breaking away from Daryl's arms and storming away. Daryl followed moments later and group members, including Piper, watched solemnly as the two left. Time began to move forward once again and everyone was beginning to process what had happened. It was a lot to swallow.

Beth, realizing her mother's body was one of the ones laying on the ground, broke away from Jimmy and ran toward it. Piper watched, the lump in her throat growing larger. The petite blonde struggled to pull another body off of her mother's, but when she did, she turned her mother over. Suddenly, arms reached up and grabbed for the teenager who let out a scream. Everyone burst into action; Glenn fearlessly jumped on the walker, Shane, Piper, and Rick grabbed for the girl trying to pull her to safety, and T-Dog kept the walker at bay stomping at its head. Andrea at last grabbed a scythe impaling the former woman in the head. It was after the limp body fell to the ground that everyone realized what they had just done. Piper looked at Beth who cried into her father's chest. The lump grew. For they had just brutally killed the poor girl's mother right in front of her. It clearly didn't matter to Beth that her mother was one of the dead, it was her mother, and she just got a blade through the brain.

When an argument ensued between Shane and Hershel, Piper took her queue to leave. She didn't want to be in the middle of the conflict, she didn't want to pick sides. Back to Leroy she went. Piper let a sigh of relief as soon as she entered the horse barn. The familiar smell of her equine friends filled her nostrils and she was immediately calmed. Leroy, who had been waiting very patiently for his owner to return, let out a small snort and Piper ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck, "I love you, buddy," she mumbled squeezing him. She pulled backward and her eyes found the curry comb that lay on the cement floor. She picked it up and moved toward Leroy's side beginning to work large circles in the gelding's coat, laughing as he stretched his neck out, enjoying the attention.

"Hershel's gone," Shane's voice interrupted the grooming session.

Piper looked to the entryway of the barn at Shane, a puzzled look etched in her features, "What do you mean he's," the brunette dropped the soft brush she had been using and air-quoted, "'gone'?"

"Mean Hershel's got a secret that was more than juss' a barn fulla walkers," Shane folded his arms across his chest and walked into the barn.

"What's the secret?" Piper tilted her head slightly before picking the brush back up. absent-mindedly running it across Leroy's coat, she looked at Shane for an answer.

"Dude's got a drinkin' problem. Maggie gave Rick n' idea of where he went off to," Shane jerked his thumb toward nowhere in particular, "He and Glenn went of too get the ol' man."

"I always pegged him as a gambling kinda guy," Piper joked trying to make light of things. Her friend's face remained stoic, "Anyways, I have time before I gotta get these guys f-e-d. Anything you need me to do?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're gonna burn the bodies. Need some help gettin' them all together."

"Got it," Piper said unclipping the crossties from Leroy's halter and leading him into his stall. When the door was closed Piper went to turn to Shane, but he had already left. The woman frowned slightly and turned to her horse, "You don't think he's mad at me?" The lack of response answered Piper's question.

* * *

As she sat idly beneath a large maple tree, Piper tried her best to ignore the scent of burning flesh, focusing on the more appealing sunset. The day had worn everyone out, but after a few hours, things settled down. Everything was quiet at the farm; Rick and Glenn had gone to find and return Hershel, who chose to select a bar in town to drown his sorrows. Shane had neglected to tell Piper earlier that Beth had collapsed and Rick and Glenn were against the clock to retrieve the vet and father. Besides the issue with Beth, the rest of the group was going about their evening chores in silence. After spending some quality time with her new pal Andrea, gathering up bodies, Piper had returned to the barn to finish up her chores. Her day was coming to an end and Piper took the free time she had to reflect. The brunette closed her eyes and leaned her head up against the tree trunk listening to the leaves rustle in the breeze.

"Piper?" she hadn't heard Lori approach, and the other woman's voice startled her. Her eyes opened and she sat up straighter.

"Sup?"

Lori crouched down in front of the brunette, "I've heard some things," she paused, her eyes darted, left to right, "Things about Shane."

Piper raised her brow, "Enlighten me."

Lori was hesitant and spoke in something short of a whisper, "Dale says that Shane sacrificed Otis."

"Dear God," Piper rolled her eyes.

"I just want to know if Shane's dangerous," Lori cut Piper off, ignoring the comment.

Piper crossed her arms, "Since when are you guys the Shane police?" she questioned.

"That man is around my son everyday," Lori replied through gritted teeth, "You saw what he did at the barn."

Piper loved Lori, but she knew the sensitivity that Lori had when it came to her family - especially Carl, but the other woman's need to pry annoyed Piper. She didn't want to reveal anything or confirm Dale's suspicions. Piper had no interest in betraying her friend's confidence. She shook her head, "Firstly, I actually didn't see what happened at the barn. Second of all, you and I both know that Shane would never hurt Carl. He would_ die_ for your son."

"Would he kill?" Lori tilted her head.

Piper bit her lip, "There are some things that are sacred," the woman got up and wiped her hands on the back of her jeans, "For example, your marriage, if you value it at all, is sacred. My friendship with Shane is just as sacred."

Lori stood and held her hand up, "Wait - what is that supposed to mean? You don't think I value my marriage? I made a mistake, but don't you dare say I don't value what I have with my husband."

"Did I say that? I don't think I said that. Hooking up a minute after he told you Rick was dead aside, I think you hold your solemn vows in high value," Piper replied, sarcasm laced in her tone.

Lori's eyes widened, but she half-expected for her short-lived affair with Shane to come out to Piper. And Lori knew that if there were sides, Piper would be on Shane's. To Piper, Lori was the bad guy - not the man who had lead her to believe her husband was dead. Piper's sarcasm stung - Lori thought of the other woman as a sister,  
"Piper, I don't want to argue with you here. You couldn't possibly know the whole story."

Piper's hard expression softened a bit and she leaned her body against the tree, "I've got plenty of time."

"You have to understand, I thought my husband was dead - "

"Shane did too, Lor," Piper cut in then motioned for Lori to continue.

Lori nodded slightly and continued, "I was facing this nightmare alone and I had Carl I had to think about with no idea what to do. Shane showed up at my door with news Rick was dead. I was alone, scared, and I just put my life in Shane's hands."

"More than your life," Piper commented.

Lori glared at Piper, but went on, "I needed Shane. I needed someone and when Rick couldn't be there, Shane was."

Piper cleared her throat, holding her hand up. The overview was good enough, she didn't want to hear any of the details of how Shane comforted Lori in her "time of need". Something about it made her feel sick, "Alright. I get the picture."

Lori looked confused for a moment, but quickly changed the subject, "I need you to watch Carl for me."

"Why? You're not doing anything," on any other occasion, Piper would say "yes", but it didn't make sense if both mother and son were going to be in the house or at least within calling distance.

"Will you please just stop asking questions and keep an eye on him for me?"

Lori's anxiety was enough to put Piper on edge, "What the hell is going on? And don't give me bullshit."

Lori was silent for a moment before exhaling, "I'm going to look for my husband," she held her hand up before Piper could speak, "Don't try to change my mind. I've already decided that I'm going."

Despite Piper repeatedly telling Lori that her husband would make it home in one piece, the woman still insisted on a search and Piper wasn't about to let Lori go off to search for her husband alone. Because of her "condition", Piper offered to take her place in the search effort, but Lori was insistent that she go. Going together was the only option.

In an attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible about their adventure, Piper suggested they ride in one of the older trucks on the property. Most of them were missing tires and were rusty death traps, but the women managed to find one that had some keys in the visor and ran smoothly. When Carl had a baby sitter and both women had their weapons of choice, they hit the road.

"Lor, do you even know where we're going?" Piper asked as she studied the road map in front of her. They had been driving for a good five minutes and Piper wasn't sure that Lori knew the area as well as she said she did.

"Into town," Lori responded keeping her eyes on the road ahead.

"Uh huh," Piper chewed on her bottom lip turning the map several times in her hands. The paper made a crinkling sound as Piper tilted her head. She never had a good sense of direction.

Lori glared at Piper, "You mind?"

Piper shrugged, "Fine, you read it."

Lori grabbed the map from Piper's hands, her eyes going back and forth between it and the road.

"You're drifting you -"

Piper was caught off by a sharp gasp and suddenly the car was swerving off the road. Piper grabbed onto the handle bar as Lori tried to gain control of the vehicle. They were heading fast into the trees. And then, everything went black.


End file.
